The German Department is lively, forward-looking and focused on providing a full linguistic and cultural education for pupils taking German. We work hard to ensure lessons are challenging and enjoyable in order to engender in boys a true and long lasting enthusiasm for the subject.
We currently have five German teachers in the Department, all first-class linguists who have worked and/or studied in Germany for an extended period of time. The development of good oral skills is a key tenet of the Modern Languages Department’s teaching philosophy, so German is spoken in class wherever possible. We also benefit from having a full-time German Assistant, a young native speaker, who assists the boys with oral practice and provides a direct and current link with Germany.
The aims of the German Department:
- To instil in all pupils profound and lasting enjoyment and understanding of Germany, the German language and German culture
- To provide boys with the chance to practise the language and experience the German culture in an authentic setting by offering boys the opportunity to participate in trips and exchanges at various times during their School career
- To maintain and enhance our consistently excellent public examination results
Co-Curricular
Trips
The Department runs four annual trips to Germany. Junior boys, together with Sixth Formers, head to Berlin and our older pupils join girls from LEH on visits to Konstanz and Munich. At the start of the Christmas holidays, we also take pupils studying German in the Third Year and above to Aachen for the weekend to spend time at the beautiful Christmas Market, whilst also practising their linguistic skills. With our proximity to London, we offer pupils the chance to experience the best of German culture in the capital.
Clubs and Competitions
German Club
Within School, the German Assistant runs lunchtime German clubs and/or German clinics to give the pupils valuable exam practice or just an excuse to play some games!
German Debating Competition
Sixth Form pupils take part in the national German debating competition run by the Goethe-Institut. This provides our Germanists the opportunity to engage with questions about the future of Europe. Debating in a foreign language brings immeasurable benefits to significantly improve pupils’ communication skills. Our Senior pupils have recently qualified for the final of this competition.
