This weekend, from 8-11 July, 35 girls from Year 8, accompanied by Mrs Prindiville, Mr Armstrong, Ms Cahalane and Ms Green visited the Chateau du Broutel in Northern France.
On the Saturday, they got the chance. . . read more
On Friday the 1st July the whole of Year 7 had the opportunity of doing their first foreign trip abroad by going to St Omer in Northern France.
The trip began at 7.00am as we boarded the King’s Ferry double decker coaches to take us to the Channel Tunnel. Unfortunately the Shuttle was late leaving which gave us less time in France but we soon crossed the Channel and France was in sight.. . . . read more
On 25th May 40 pupils form Year 9 visited Spain to learn more about Spanish language and culture. Their base was the Hotel California Garden in Salou from where they could visit an number of places including Cambrils, Sitges, Barcelona, Montserrat and Port Aventura.
The first day saw a very early start as. . . . read more
Year 7 Humanities Day September 2010
In the second week of term all of Year 7 had the chance to speak three languages in one day. By the end of the day pupils were able to order drinks in German, take part in a café dialogue in French and buy fruit in a Spanish market. Once each task was completed the pupils received a Spanish ruler, a German pencil, and French book mark. The day ended with a quiz and the pupils had to guess which language some of their favourite singers were singing in.
The day was a great success and the pupils quickly saw how easy it is to speak a foreign language. They are now looking forward to doing it for real when they visit St Omer in France in July
Current Situation
At the moment all pupils study French as their first foreign language from Years 7-11 when they sit the AQA GCSE examination.
Spanish is added in Year 8 and is studied for two years. Pupils then have the opportunity to opt for Spanish so that they can do two languages to GCSE standard. The exam board in Spanish is AQA
Recent developments in the GCSE have meant that 60% of the course is done as controlled assessments two each in speaking and writing. The remaining 40% is under exam conditions in listening and reading.
In Year 7 all pupils are encouraged to spend the day in France in St Omer. In Year 9 they the opportunity to spend 6 days in Salou in Spain.
In previous years Year8 have visited Bruges in Belgium.
Year 9 Trip to SALOU Spain 2010
School Journey to Salou Spain 26th – 31st May 2010
For six days 43 Year 9 pupils visited Spain. The tour was based in the usual resort of Salou as this is a very convenient location to visit the surrounding places of interest. It was good to see that this year all the rooms in the Hotel California garden l had been refurbished to a high standard.
Having checked in and unpacked we headed for the town where some adventurous students went into Spanish restaurants before we all went on the beach.
The following day the first stop was the language school in Cambrils followed by a visit to the beautiful town of Sitges where there was time for shopping as well as a visit to the beach. In the evening we made the first of two visits to the ever popular “Kiss” disco. The next day saw a four hour guided tour of Barcelona, followed by shopping in the “Corte Inglés” department store. On the Saturday we went back to the language school and then on to the Benedictine Monastery on Montserrat to venerate the black Madonna. In the evening we attended a local mass in Salou.
In complete contrast our final day was spent in Port Aventura one of Europe's largest theme parks where the picture was taken. The day was hot and the theme park crowded but this did not stop the pupils from having the time of their lives.
The trip was a great success and many pupils want to return next year. Fortunately the weather was very kind to us, in fact this year we had several hot days. The same trip is being organised for Year 9 next year. The dates are 25th-30th May 2011.
Ian Armstrong
Head of Modern Languages
Year 7 Enrichment day trip to St Omer
On Thursday 9th July the whole of Year 7 visited St Omer as part of the Enrichment day programme. Following a speedy crossing by the Shuttle the first stop was lunch in the beautiful gardens.
Following this there was a visit to the town with group leaders to fill in the workbook. Each group leader had money to spend and so the pupils were invited to ask for various items such as drinks, cakes and ice creams. The patisserie proved to be very popular. The renge of cakes on offer was mouth watering.
The final stop was the Auchan hypermarket for final shopping and gifts.
The trip was a great success and the pupils are now looking forward to the next trip abroad.
Ian Armstrong
Head of Modern Languages
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