FOREIGN LANGUAGE ASSISTANTS

It is very important that students have contact with native speakers of the languages that they are learning. Therefore, like many schools, each year we welcome Foreign Language Assistants for our three main foreign languages: French, Spanish and German.

Our Foreign Language Assistants are employed through the scheme operated nationally by the British Council. They arrive at the start of October each year, and work with us until May of the following year.

The Assistants are involved in many different activities to promote their language and support the learning of students. In the Sixth Form they hold extra conversation classes each week for AS and A2 students, and they produce resources including satellite television listening tasks and reading materials. With younger students they work on a rota basis with all classes, “team teaching” with the teacher or taking small groups of students out of the class for speaking practice.

Our Spanish Assistant in 2005/06 is Marionna, from Catalonia. In addition to working with students during the day, she is also teaching Spanish to adults in the evening as part of the Community Education Programme.