Putney High School

Modern Languages: French, German, Spanish and Mandarin

'To have a second language is to have another soul'. Charlemagne

A recent survey of languages spoken at Putney High School showed us what a very rich linguistic field we draw on here: over 35 different languages are spoken in the Senior Department alone. There are 50 girls in the school for whom English is an alternative first language. We fully acknowledge that in a person’s working life, it will be likely that several new languages may have to be acquired. At Putney, we seek to give the skills necessary for acquiring a new language independently and confidently. Our mission is to play a leading role in the global village.

The Department comprises four full-time and three part-time teachers, as well as three foreign language assistants. French, German and Spanish are taught at all levels. Mandarin has been part of the curriculum from September 2007 for all Year 7 and 8 pupils. The Mandarin department is planning an exchange trip to Shanghai, China for year 10, 11, and 12 pupils this year.

LATEST NEWS: Putney now boasts a new state-of-the-art language laboratory, which is refuelling the girls' enthusiasm for languages!

GCSE

French is taught to all pupils from Year 7, alongside Mandarin. There is a choice of German or Spanish for pupils from Year 9. Girls must study at least one Modern Foreign Language to GCSE, and many choose to study two. We study the OCR courses. Their website is www.ocr.org.uk .

AS and A Level

We have a high take-up for these advanced levels at the school. We follow the Edexcel course - www.edexcel.org.uk . We also offer AS level from AQA - visit www.aqa.org.uk . 

We prepare students for Oxbridge and are delighted that the study of languages at university is one of the most popular options for our students. Many return and tell us how languages have enriched their life.

Extension Activities

We are lucky to be situated in close proximity to central London, so take full advantage of theatres, cinemas and galleries.

We organise many trips abroad every year. In 2007 the French department led an exciting trip to Paris, staying with French families near Disneyland. This trip will be repeated in November 2008. There is an exchange for year 9 pupils. The German Department organises an exchange to Tübingen for Year 10 and sometimes another trip for Year 11 upwards. This year the Spanish department visited Benalmadena in Andalucia for Year 11 and 12. 

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