Latest Happenings at the Hub:

Goethe Institut Trip

Our Year 9 German Students enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Goethe Institut, where they enjoyed talks from staff members, screenings and quizzes!

Students particularly enjoyed competing against Exchange Students in a fun quiz about British and German Brands!

Chloe’s thoughts on the day:

See below a wonderful reflection from one of our Year 9 students, Chloe. It is a beautiful piece of writing that shows just how impactful language visits can be for learners. Thank you, Chloe!

Mother Tongue Other Tongue

In the Autumn term, we were delighted to run the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition at TGAS. For the Mother Tongue entries, students had to write either an original piece, or a poem or song that is ‘remembered’ – i.e. something in their first language that they can recall, or that has been told to them by a relative. ​Students then wrote a short explanation of the inspiration behind the piece, where it comes from, or why it is important to them.​ For the Other Tongue entries, students had to write an original poem in a language that was not their native tongue. We received a variety of entries from Year 7 to Year 10, in a range of languages including French, German, Cantonese and Punjabi. We chose winners based on use of language and creativity. All entries were sent off to the University of Warwick, and we were proud that one of our students, Hayden, won the KS3 Other Tongue prize in the regional Routes into Languages competition.

The MFL department then hosted a Celebration Brunch Event. All of the students who had taken part received an invitation to attend, where they had refreshments and an opportunity to browse all of the poems. An anthology containing all of the poems was produced and a copy given to all students to celebrate their success. Certificates were awarded to our winners, and students read out their poems and shared the stories behind them. It was inspiring to hear why students had chosen to represent their poems, which had often been told to them by their parents, and students shared how much their native languages and cultures mean to them and form part of their identity. We are so proud of our diverse community, and always strive to encourage students to share their heritage, while showing appreciation for language and poetry.

Spanish, French and German Theatre Visits

Year 8 and Year 9 students enjoyed a range of theatre performances in Spanish, French and German. They were exposed to authentic voices and new language, through physical and comedic drama performances; with interesting age-appropriate plots! These included AirBnb booking disasters, teenage babysitters and chaotic art lessons! Students commented on their enjoyment of the audience participation and the overly exaggerated gestures which added to the comedic effect of each plots’ misunderstanding. We look forward to inviting the Onatti Theatre company back to perform for our students this year!