Modern Languages

We have bilingual teachers ready to help you or your child with the following languages:

Chinese Mandarin

French

Spanish

Italian

What is our approach to learning languages?

Using a blend of teaching methods outlined in the National Curriculum mixed with our teachers’ TEFL experience and syllabuses, in a short time our language students are able to:
• Communicate orally
• Share their ideas and feelings using speech
• Compare their use of English grammar and spelling to another language
• Express some ideas in writing

Our highly effective online classes involve a range of engaging practices including:
• Listening to the new language and joining in to learn everyday words and phrases
• Reading texts and stories in another language, carrying out basic comprehension tasks
• Learning songs, poems, rhymes and stories in another language to help with vocabulary but also with cultural understanding
• Learning how to have conversations in another language to share ideas and opinions as well as being able to ask and answer questions
• Writing some words and phrases from memory as well as describing people and places with basic sentences.

If you would like a free trial session in any of our language classes, please get in touch and we will book you in to the next available session. We host one-to-one as well as group classes so whatever you prefer, we should be able to help.

Who are these classes for?

Whether you are starting from scratch, have some basics already, or even if fluency is your goal, you can learn and feel comfortable speaking a second (or third) language with our expert tutors. Speaking a foreign language can bring huge advantages throughout one’s entire life. From the first steps on the ladder of trying for the best independent or grammar schools – to filling out UCAS forms for university – and all the way up to applying for that coveted role in the dream job, speaking additional languages can give you the edge over many of your competitors. Being able to converse in a different tongue opens up opportunities for business, travel and lifestyle choices in general and is a skill that should be seriously considered. As with most skills, the earlier you start, the easier it is to learn quickly, and the better you will be by the time you may need to play that language card.

Learning a language is like learning an instrument. The voice is literally played by a combination of movements from the tongue, lips, mouth and vocal chords. With this in mind, it is essential that language practice is kept up regularly beyond lessons and outside of the classroom environment.

GROUP LESSONS

Students will receive an hours lesson each week with some months students receiving up to 5 lessons: fees are £100 per month and is due at the beginning of the month for the month.

*You can receive further discount by booking our other group lessons in Maths, English and Science. You can find more information here.

ONE TO ONE LESSONS

Fees are charged at £60 per hour and students can pick the frequency of lessons per week.

How can I support my child with languages?

The foreign language learning your child experiences with us will be more than enough to set them on their way. However, you might like to support their learning at home by trying some of the following:

1. Take an interest, and learn with your child
   Learn alongside them: whichever language they are learning, get them to teach you some key words and phrases. They might like to make a simple poster illustrating key words and phrases, or use sticky notes to label everyday objects in a foreign language. Another good idea is to create a ‘new words’ dictionary for them to record all the new things that they have been learning. You may want to invest in a bilingual dictionary for them to look up further words — there are a great many ‘child-friendly’ versions of these available.
2. Make it multimedia
   Why not find books, films or songs in the language they are learning? These can be a wonderful way to learn a language without even realising it. Early-readers or lift-the-flap books are brilliant for learning a new language. The Internet is perfect for bringing some cultural learning into your home, allowing as it does access to videos, radio/audio and images from all around the globe. It has never been easier to expand your child’s horizons. There are also many games accessible online (many of which are free) to help engage your child at home as well as websites (listed below) that include games, eBooks and links to other foreign language sites too.
3. Take a trip (as soon as restrictions are lifted!)
   If you are lucky enough, perhaps you might like to plan a family holiday to a country where the language is spoken. This is not always possible for many families, but any way for your child to meet native speakers can be a wonderful experience. Alternatively, there is always the good old-fashioned pen-friend option! Nowadays, it is even easer to make and keep in contact with foreign language speakers in other countries (supervision and monitoring advised).
4. Make it fun
   Above all, make any additional language learning you do at home fun, practical and supportive. Learning a new language can be a little daunting at first but with the help of parents and schools, it need not be the case. Even playing simple games (such as ‘Snap’, ‘Guess Who’, ‘Snakes and Ladders’) and adding an element of a foreign language (such as counting, colours or even just answering yes and no) could be a wonderful aid.

• 11 Plus London’s recommended language aids
• The Government’s languages curriculum booklet
• Languages pages from the BBC
• Little Red Languages (free languages resources and activities)
• Duolingo — a fun and effective way to learn languages