What we view as essential is the constant, cumulative acquisition and expansion of both vocabulary and range of grammatical structures, allowing students to communicate independently and confidently; this is at the heart of our approach to learning. This means that we provide students with the opportunities to put their knowledge into practice across the four skills of speaking, reading, listening and writing. Our aim in this is to provide for students an intellectual challenge and therefore an enjoyable and satisfying experience. We also see the learning of a language as a valuable part in the curriculum of the development of students’ skills in the area of memory and recall, and believe that another benefit is the enhancement of students’ overall linguistic awareness.
We see learning languages as making a significant contribution to deepening students’ understanding of other cultures. With the international community being so diverse and fascinating, we want to help students move beyond any insular attitudes they may have and be able to appreciate and feel empathy for people who look, sound and act differently to them. We want to foster a sense of curiosity in our students about the wider international world, and learning a language is a gateway to an enhanced appreciation of it.