We firmly believe that successfully learning another language enriches your life forever. Knowledge of languages opens doors to another world. Nothing can replace reading a novel or seeing a play in the original, and visits to foreign countries are so much more interesting if you can eavesdrop on conversations in buses and restaurants, read what is written all around you and speak to anyone you meet. It can also be a lifesaver in moments of crisis! We teach our pupils how to become skilled linguists, to be independent in how to learn a language, and to understand how to become better at an art that is fiendishly challenging to perfect.
For GCSE we want our pupils to be unafraid of speaking out and of making mistakes, and indeed, to understand that giving things a shot is an essential technique to successful language learning. We aim for a convincing level of fluency for GCSE. For A Level our aim is advanced oral and written fluency: we expect our pupils to be ambitious with the language they produce, and the very best will strive to pass for bilinguals.
Pupils who arrive at Cheltenham College in the Third Form usually study two modern foreign languages. Those who have taken French in their previous school continue with it and, in addition, they start either German or Spanish. In the Fourth Form, all pupils have to study at least one modern foreign language, not necessarily French, and many continue with two. Other languages are sometimes offered as extra-curricular activities. Last academic year we arranged Mandarin and Italian lessons for interested pupils.
Pupils who are native-speakers of other languages are usually able to take public examinations in those languages and in recent years we have had entries for Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Turkish.
School visits are regularly arranged to Spain and Germany. Two visits to France are planned for this academic year. Pupils are also able to arrange one-to-one exchanges with young people of their age or homestays with teachers of languages they are learning. A travel scholarship is available for those who wish to go abroad to improve their language skills. Pupils attend conferences, plays and films whenever possible.
Simon Brian, Head of Modern Languages