"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart" Nelson Mandela

In a world becoming metaphorically smaller, speaking just one language is not sufficient. A foreign language gives us access to another culture, and our lives take on a new dimension.

There are sound cultural, economic, intellectual and social reasons for learning a foreign language.  Year 7 pupils have the opportunity to learn both French and German. In Year 9 Spanish is offered and is very popular.  All pupils at Kingswood take at least one foreign language at GCSE. The take-up of foreign languages in the Sixth Form is rising and public examination results have been excellent with some pupils continuing their language studies at good universities. 

Our teaching reflects our view that communication is the most important target; we are clear, however, that confidence in language must be built on firm grammatical foundations. Through interactive whiteboards, the Internet can be accessed in each language classroom. Our exchanges with schools in Germany and France are very popular.  We organise theatre and film trips. The faculty’s film clubs and Simpsons auf Deutsch activities prove consistently popular as does our Japanese beginners’ course.

The languages faculty sets on ability for French part way through Year 7 and from Year 9 in German. Pupils at Kingswood take at least one foreign language at GCSE. The take-up of foreign languages in the Sixth Form is rising, and results are excellent.