In a world that is becoming more interconnected by the minute, being able to speak more than one language is an increasingly important skill with the potential to unlock a wide range of possibilities. At Loughborough High School, Mrs Amber Lee, Head of Modern Languages, leads a team of dedicated language teachers and assistants to engage and inspire future generations of talented linguists.
Mrs Lee studied French, German and Spanish at school before going on to do a degree in French and German at the University of Nottingham, with a year abroad baked into the course – “I got to spend a year working in Austria as a Language Assistant teaching English and it really did made me think ‘this is what I want to do.’ I absolutely loved it.” It is this passion and enthusiasm for studying Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) that Mrs Lee uses to give the girls at LHS an insight into the opportunities that are available to them.
Driven by factors such as technology, trade and tourism, being able to communicate both effectively and empathetically with lots of different people is becoming an essential skill, most notably within the workplace. To convey this to the pupils, Mrs Lee organised an insightful Languages Day for Year 9 pupils this week, which began with some striking statistics; four fifths of the world’s population don’t speak English; companies lose approximately £45 billion per year by not having language speakers as part of their workforce.
Motivated by these facts, the programme consisted of language quizzes, ‘sweet marketing’ activities, careers talks and problem-solving tasks designed to deepen the girls’ understanding of why learning languages is key. We were delighted to welcome a guest speaker from Business Language Champions to deliver the ‘sweet marketing’ workshop who tasked the girls to brand sweets in another language, demonstrating the importance of language skills in the workplace.
Across the MFL curriculum at LHS, pupils begin by developing core vocabulary, problem-solving and speaking skills and engage well with learning about the culture of each country.
At GCSE and A Level, girls work closely with Language Assistants who are all French, German and Spanish native speakers respectively, greatly improving their own ability to speak fluently. Pupils can also get involved with the Language Ambassador Scheme, enabling them to test and develop their skills by helping pupils in lower years and supporting in-school events.
“I love the fact that we’ve got such beautifully motivated students. They really seem to engage and are very open-minded, which is really lovely”
Mrs Amber Lee, Head of Modern Languages
From Year 7 through to Sixth Form, the teaching of languages is designed to open doors for pupils as they develop skills in communication, research, critical thinking, problem-solving and cultural awareness, which are all beneficial to a range of career opportunities.
From translation and interpreting services to international business and finance, and from journalism and broadcasting to education and environmental conservation, the ability to speak more than one language can give pupils a competitive edge in their academic career and beyond.
