Languages
The French Department
All languages rooms are fitted with PFI computer equipment and data projectors (through which CDs 
and DVDs can be played), overhead projectors and either a cassette or a CD player.
The Language Laboratory is a facility which has been available to the languages department since the opening of the new sixth form centre in 2001. All Year 12 and 13 classes spend one lesson per week in the languages laboratory and Year 10 and Year 11 go there in rotation, usually using sound files to carry out listening exercises.
The department currently has an allocation of 2 lessons a week in Years 7 and 8, 3 lessons a week in Years 9-11 and 6 lessons a week, usually divided between two members of staff, in Years 12 and 13.French uses the AQA examination board for GCSE and OCR for AS and A Level.
The German Department
German is taught from year 7 to all the classes on a par with French.
In years 7 – 8 the language is taught to a whole form, there is no setting. In years 7 -8 each class has 2 lessons per week. Each lesson lasts 50 minutes. In the spring term of year 8 pupils make their options. Each pupil has to choose one foreign language at least, either French or German, but can opt to take both.
From year 9 the pupil continues with one or both languages to GCSE. From Year 9 onward pupils are generally timetabled for one lesson per week in the language lab to work on a variety of tasks.
In general pupils are divided into two groups for German, numbers dictating the size/number of groups. Each group has 3 x 50 minute lessons per week.
In years 12 and 13 German is combined with a very varied range of subject matter. An interesting feature of the past few years is the combination of language with science subjects. This is due in part to the greater to the popularity of combined subjects at university. The ‘A’ level candidates have 6 x 50 minute lessons per week.