The Modern Languages Departments works with a set of aims and visions. We are eager for our students to understand and experience the wide spectrum of benefits that Modern Languages learning offers.
We endeavour to encourage all our pupils to develop an understanding of the spoken and written form of the language, and to communicate with assurance and clarity, using the language as accurately as can reasonably be expected.
We encourage students to become confident and independent learners, fully involved in the process of their own learning with a willingness to take risks, developing a critical insight into the cultural background, society and heritage of the countries where the language is spoken. We aim for them to build a solid basis from which development for further study is possible and to acquire a deep enjoyment of learning the language, discovering its cultural background and appreciating its unique relationship to other languages and cultures.
Our objectives are to assess knowledge, understanding and skills. We work towards developing the ability of all students to understand and respond to the spoken language, so that they may communicate clearly and cogently. We want students to understand and respond in varying registers to the written language and encourage them to manipulate the foreign language using a varying range of grammatical structures and vocabulary suited to the task set.
We aim to create a space for pupils to demonstrate their ability for critical thinking and put their field of study in a broader context, and where they can transfer meaning from English into the foreign language, or vice versa, with comfort.
All GCSE exams in Spanish, French and Mandarin are AQA. Bilingual and heritage speakers often sit IGCSE exams. Spanish, French and Bilingual/heritage Mandarin sit AQA A Level. Non-native speakers of Mandarin sit Cambridge Pre-U exams.
We do offer post-A Level qualifications (such as the HK exams in Mandarin or the DELE exams in Spanish)
Core Languages offered are Spanish, French and Mandarin. Extra Languages offered are Arabic, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Russian and Swedish.
Head of Department
Suzanne Burton
Of Franco-Spanish origin, Suzanne joined Benenden School in September, 2017.
She is a passionate student and teacher of European and Asian languages having achieved her tertiary qualifications in French, British and Australian universities. She has worked in several countries where she has held senior positions in both academic and commercial sectors.
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