Modern Languages
All girls study both French and German throughout years 7 to 9, from which they must choose at least one to study at GCSE. By learning a language from each of the two main European language families they gain a greater depth and breadth of understanding about grammar and rules of language, which would also serve as a springboard to learning other languages in the future should the need arise.
In College (our Sixth Form), as well as A level German and French we offer GCSE Spanish, plus A level Spanish by special arrangement . In addition we have a very successful extra curricular Russian class, which we also open to able pupils from other City of York schools.
Within the department, the emphasis is very much on the word modern: we want the girls to use their languages to speak to and understand people from different cultures and countries. Our study trips in years 7 – 9, exchanges in years 9 – 11, and cross curricular trips in College , to both France and Germany, are very popular and play a vital role in allowing girls to do this.
Each year we find new, creative ways to celebrate the European Day of Languages. One year, taster sessions for 12 different languages were arranged during the course of a lunchtime. Another year saw a University Challenge style competition with questions on a language theme.