German

Why choose German?

As a Germanic language like English, learning it can support pupils’ English language skills and understanding as well. German is considered one of the most important languages for business and so it can enhance  employability and enable students to converse with people all around the world.

A Level German

We currently follow the AQA A Level syllabus in our Sixth Form. Students develop their knowledge and understanding of themes relating to the culture and society of countries where German is spoken, as well as developing their language skills over the two year course.

Year 12 topics include:

• German speaking society
• Multiculturalism in German society
• Politics
• Festivals and traditions

Students will also study a piece of literature and film in German. There are also opportunities for students to take on an independent research project about a topic which interests them about the German language and culture.

Year 13 topics include:

• Immigration, integration and multiculturalism within Germany and the German-speaking world
• History of Germany
• German film analysis

We use authentic spoken and written sources in German and dedicated time with our German language assistant allows each student to further develop their communication and translation skills.

At the end of the course, students are assessed on their listening, speaking, reading, writing, translating and research abilities.

We provide weekly language clinics to support pupils at all stages of their learning, offering targeted and personalised language support.

The skills developed during the course will prepare students thoroughly for academic life at university – whether that’s studying a degree in German or using skills they have learnt in German to support them in another subject. Many of our students go on to combine German with another subject at university, such as other modern languages, English, Economics, Marketing, History, European Studies, Politics, Law and Medicine.

Teaching Methods

We use a variety of teaching methods to ensure that lessons are always extremely engaging, relevant and interesting. We firmly believe that learning any language should be rewarding and fun, which is why we work hard to make every lesson dynamic.

Students enact roleplay, study newspapers and recent media, conduct independent or group research and study one-on-one with our German assistant.

Our German assistant comes from a German-speaking country and helps students to develop accurate pronunciation and vocabulary through individual sessions.

Co-curricular Activities:

• In Sixth Form, we offer the opportunity to visit Germany which is a fantastic way to experience the country first hand and further develop language skills. We usually visit Berlin, a city full of history, museums, art, culture, shopping and green spaces to explore. We visit a range of sites over four days including the Reichstag Dome (planned by Sir Norman Foster), remains of the Berlin Wall (known as the “Eastside Gallery”), the Brandenburg Gate, the Jewish Museum and a boat tour of the River Spree.
• We can also help students to arrange work experience in Germany to accompany their Sixth Form studies.
• The use of film is becoming increasingly prominent in our curriculum and we study films in every year group. We have an extensiveGerman film lending library available to our Sixth Form students.
• Language Prefects are able to provide experiences and activities for our younger Junior language learners throughout the school year and work with other senior students to offer language clubs. 
• Every September we provide a range of activities to celebrate Languages Week and the European Day of Languages.
• We host a city-wide translation bee competition annually and our A Level German students can choose to compete or support the event in other ways. 

Our dedicated foreign language assistants help to bring language learning to life and support our A Level students to achieve amongst the top academic results in the region.