FRENCH

There are currently 80 million people with French as their first language, and it is spoken in 60 countries around the world. It is currently used by 235 million people on a daily basis for education and work purposes. In the current challenging market, knowledge of a foreign language is attractive to employers in the light of greater mobility within the European Community and beyond, given the international nature of trade and industry. Also, more locally, pupils need to remember that tourism is a big source of employment in our area and employers are seeking adaptable communicators. Nowadays, cultural empathy is important not just for the international manager but also the shop-assistant. 

Learning a foreign language enables pupils to build an insight into the life of another country and increases their opportunities and confidence to travel abroad.  It also has great value both practically and vocationally.  Many university courses require students to have a qualification in a language as part of their general entrance requirements for admission.  Pupils can also choose to continue their study of this language at university, either alone or as an additional subject in courses such as business, engineering, and law, to name but a few.  Those who decide to study for a degree in languages are recruited by many different kinds of companies and organisations where they can then undertake more specific professional training.

SPANISH

With 400 million native speakers, Spanish ranks as the world’s second language in terms of how many people speak it as their first language (Chinese being No.1). Studying Spanish contributes towards the development of literacy skills by providing pupils with opportunities to read, listen, talk and write in Spanish and to reflect on how this relates to English. The Courses provide pupils with the opportunity to develop skills in reading, listening, talking and writing, which are essential for learning, work and life; develop an understanding of how language works; use different media effectively for learning and communication, and use language to communicate ideas and information.