Beyond the classroom
Throughout the children’s time at Westbourne House, we aim to bring languages to life by organising enriching activities that fit into the school day.
During Years 5-8, the children have the opportunity to write and/or record video messages to pen pals from French and Spanish schools. This gives them purpose to their study and enables us to explore cultural differences - no school uniform? Wow!
We also regularly explore cultural events such as Día de los Muertos, La Tomatina, Mardi Gras, 14 Juillet, and of course Christmas abroad! Mix in some culinary adventures and the children have a great understanding of culture and life in another country.
We attend language festivals and workshops, hosted by nearby schools, where children learn through a variety of mediums including song, dance, art and drama as well as experiencing different languages including Chinese.
During the Summer Term, Year 5 hosts Year 4 on a ‘Round the World’ event, where the Year 5s teach the year group below them about a French or Spanish speaking country of their choice, through dance, art, puzzles and more!
In Year 7 or 8, children spend four days in the stunning countries of France and Spain. Here they immerse themselves in the language and develop their linguistic skills further through speaking to locals, as well as visiting places of historical, cultural and spiritual interest, and tasting culinary specialities. On their return, they use what they have learnt to perform short plays in the target language for their parents.
Having studied both French and Spanish since secondary school, I am passionate about sharing the fun and excitement of learning languages. I enjoy developing the children’s confidence in speaking and seeing them engaged in exploring a different culture or country. I love teaching through songs, acting and games!
I was very fortunate to begin learning foreign languages at my pre-prep school, hence my passion to ensure that pupils in my care have the same amazing opportunities as I did.
There is a growing body of research which shows the huge advantages that exposure to a second language can give a child, as it helps strengthen the phonics of their mother tongue as well as their linguistic awareness.
At Westbourne, we acknowledge that learning a language is not just about the words on the page but learning and experiencing the culture. We therefore offer our pupils a wide exposure to culture through the study of film, music, dance, art, festivals and history.