Language prowess of Burghclere secondary school pupils scoops cup
Title held for second consecutive year
THE CLERE School pupils’ modern languages and business prowess has seen them scoop a glittering cup – for the second year in a row.
The school, in Earlstone Common, Burghclere, was delighted to win the Modern Foreign Language Challenge Cup, as well as lifting the best overall team award in Basingstoke recently.
School spokeswoman Nicola Hughes said: “Congratulations and well done to the French team of Carys Cleghorn, Tara Smith, Anita Depukat and Ruby Joliffe, who are all Year 10 students, for their hard work and ultimate success.”
The challenge this year was to plan and market a new café for young people for the Festival Place shopping centre, in Basingstoke, with an emphasis on promoting the café to exchange students from France and Germany.
Tasks included creating an information pack about the café and convincing young people to visit it.
They also had to decide where to locate the café, what would make it unique, give it a name and design a logo for the Festival Place website, while utilising marketing techniques such as creating a radio jingle and press releases.
Finally they prepared a five-minute presentation to sell their café to the Festival Place judges and convince them to let them open their business.
Pupils afterwards said the challenge proved a great experience, which enabled them to realise how languages are influential in the business world.
Dawn German, the school’s modern foreign languages curriculum leader, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to win the cup for the second year in a row.
“We won the French challenge and won best overall team – by a mile.
“As well as showcasing their outstanding language skills, the teams learnt about key marketing techniques, team work, meeting deadlines and, of course, organising their own time. ”
The Basingstoke Consortium organises a Modern Foreign Language Challenge every year, to demonstrate how students might use their languages in business and challenge more able linguists.
The event is open to Year 10 students in secondary schools across the borough of Basingstoke and Deane, and teams must complete a number of business-related tasks in French, German or Spanish.
