Modern Foreign Languages

French

What a fantastic feeling to have had a “near-normal” academic year! Except for our trips abroad, which had to be postponed, we were able to have a schooling experience as we have always known them here at Churcher’s - full of excitement, with lots to learn and experience. We even managed to sneak in the odd “boules” or “pétanque” competition at lunch time! There have been some amazing essays from our Sixth Formers, as well as some impressive written paragraphs from our Fifth Years, and I am delighted to be able to say that quite a few of them have decided to pursue French at A Level. Lisa, our French assistant, worked tirelessly to make them feel confident in holding varied discussions in French, using a plethora of idiomatic expressions. We said “au revoir” to her last May, and look forward to welcoming Thomas, our new assistant, for the next academic year. Our year finished in style during Open Day, with amazing-looking cakes entered for our International Bake Off competition, as well as our buzzing Continental Café, for which the Languages Department, our Lower Sixth students, and many Second Year pupils worked very hard indeed. It was a real success and showcased the Department at its best.

We are saying a huge heart felt “merci” to Madame Shaw, who after nine years of leading the Modern Languages Department with panache and total dedication, has decided to remain very much a key Languages teacher with us, but spend more quality time with her family. Madame Shaw’s leadership is a hard act to follow, and I am very much looking forward to stepping up to the challenge of being Head of Faculty.

German

The German Department had a very successful year, focusing on combining language learning with the all-important cultural aspects, which are part of learning a foreign language. More than ever, we were determined to engage our students with German culture due to the fact that the regular exchange to Warendorf and the Christmas Market trip to Cologne remained on hold due to covid restrictions.

Our enthusiastic Language Assistant, Norman, ran the Oxford-German Olympiad for students from the Second to Fourth Year, and the UKGerman Connection project for Third Year students of German. The topic of the Oxford-German Olympiad was Der Rhein. Tasks included drawing or painting a picture of creatures that live in and by the Rhine, and writing a short text describing them for our younger participants. Our

Fourth Year students chose to draw and write a story inspired by the Nibelung treasure, and one of the Third Year groups created a website about the historical importance of the Rhine. We were very proud of Laetitia Nickols, Abigail Harrison, Jessie Lofthouse, and Cecily Morrogh when their work was announced as being highly commended by the OxfordGerman Olympiad. The UK-German Connection project consisted of a cultural exchange, where students from a school in Augsburg and our Third Year students exchanged information about their schools, their towns, and their favourite songs and festivals via a live and colourful padlet board. We celebrated St. Nikolaustag on 6 December with our First Years, where they merrily sang the song Lasst uns froh und munter sein. They were excited to receive delicious German biscuits, Lebkuchen, and chocolates in their shoes just like German children do on the morning of St. Nikolaustag. Our Second and Third Year students were able to go on a virtual trip to Berlin and Munich, finding out information about these places and experiencing life in both cities. We were delighted with the way our students were able to experience German culture as closely as possible during the year, however, we cannot wait to go on the exchange to Warendorf, and the Christmas Market trip to Cologne in person again. Ariane Broomfield

Spanish

Looking back on another year in the Spanish Department, it never ceases to amaze all of us, as language teachers, just how much our students accomplish both in and out of the classroom. The First Years starting Spanish were fully engaged in songs and games, sorely missed the year before. The Second Years were confident, and many eagerly signed up for the trip to Barcelona in October 2022 to experience the cultural sights and Catalan gastronomy.

It was with enthusiasm, that we welcomed back the Onatti theatre to perform their fun Spanish play for the Third Years. The Upper Sixth, were equally able to enjoy a performance of La Casa de Bernarda Alba, by the Cervantes Theatre. With lots of trips and activities completed or on the horizon, it is fantastic and rewarding to see our linguists actively involved in their language learning. As a teacher who went on the World Challenge trip to Peru and Bolivia this summer, I was very proud of our young GCSE and A Level students, whom I witnessed really using their Spanish skills and communicating with the local communities, conversing with confidence and spontaneity. Anna-Maria Giffin