Wealden Times | WT200 | October 2018 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

Education
Talking the talk
Being confident in another language – or two – will bring your
child multiple benefits. Two schools talk us through it
Northbourne Park School
The learning of languages in
school can bring a mixed
reaction from many people.
For some it was a great success while
others feel they never quite got to
grips with it. We all however will
agree just how useful, important and
fun it is to be able to speak a second
language. The benefits are numerous.
To be able to stand in a foreign city
and ask for directions is a simple but
quite empowering achievement while
making friends with someone in another
language is invaluable. So how do we
make language learning a success?
At Northbourne Park School we place
great emphasis on languages. Children
start French lessons in the Nursery
class and before long they are singing
French songs in their Harvest Festival
and Mother’s Day Service. Language is
given to them as a natural part of the
school day and at this age the children
pick up the new words with ease.
By starting at a young age it creates
an environment within the school
where it is the norm to speak someone
else’s language. As the children move
up through the school they also
take up Spanish so that by the time
they leave Northbourne Park they
have developed the confidence to
have a go without feeling silly.
Making mistakes is key to making
progress and as soon as the children
understand this essential
part to their learning, they
quickly make progress.
The lessons, delivered
by specialist teachers,
are engaging and
interactive, drawing
upon a wide range of
material including interactive software
to reinforce new language points.
Combine this with a community of
children from Spain and France who
board at the school and you have an
environment where friendships are
forged in not one but three languages. It
is not uncommon to hear two children
“Making
mistakes is
key to making
progress”
in the corridors of the school using all
three languages in a conversation.
Every year the school celebrates
European Day of Languages where the
children share language, culture and
international cuisine. The older pupils
also enjoy language lunches every week
where they eat with a ‘buddy’ from
another country, taking it in turns to
speak each other’s language. As for the
annual Spelling Bee, well of course it
isn’t just in English!
All of these activities,
coupled with language
lessons, are a reminder
to the whole school
community that
there is a big world
out there ready to be
explored and people to meet.
So what does this give the
children? Naturally there’s that sense
of achievement and confidence
boost to be able to communicate
in a different language and research
shows that speaking more than one
language increases brain capacity
and memory skills. It becomes easier
the more languages you learn, as
you develop your own best ways
of learning and remembering.
So in a world where political,
economic and cultural boundaries
are shifting, the children at
Northbourne Park School have already
reached beyond these boundaries
and are embracing everything
that this world has to offer.
Come and visit us to find
out more. À bientôt.
Language lessons are engaging and interactive
Northbourne Park School,
Betteshanger, Deal, Kent CT14 0NW
01304 611 215/218
northbournepark.com
163 wealdentimes.co.uk