German Embassy and Goethe-Institut UK visit St Bart’s School in Newbury to champion languages education

A Newbury secondary school has taken part in a national campaign promoting German language education.

The #ShoutOutForGerman campaign, organised by the German Embassy, Goethe-Institut UK and German Academic Exchange Service, pays tribute to all schools, teachers and champions of German who encourage language learning in and out the classroom.

And last week, head of culture and education at the German Embassy Susanne Frane and deputy director and head of language department at the Goethe-Institut London Andrea Pfeil visited St Bart’s School to see how it is encouraging language learning.

They visited a Year 12 German class and joined Year 9 pupils in completing a German quiz.

Headteacher David Fitter said of their visit: “We have always been proud of the importance modern foreign languages plays in our curriculum.

“Speaking more than one language helps build a sense of global citizenship as well as opening up future employment opportunities.

“We hope taking part in this prestigious week will encourage many more students to consider choosing German as an A-Level option.”

The German department at St Bart’s organised a range of activities during lesson times and after school including competitions, clubs and films.

It also invited guest speakers including a recruitment specialist from BMW and a German and English lawyer to speak with pupils.

Other speakers included Ian Ellison, a post-doctoral researcher on the Kafka's Transformative Communities Project at the University of Oxford.

Dr Ellison spent the day speaking to Year 7 to Year 13 pupils about Franz Kafka, why his writing is so accessible and how to read and translate from German into English.

German books were also available in the library, while the canteen laid on German delicacies such as Bratwurst and Strudel.

Head of German Gabrielle Tucker said: “In our increasingly competitive job market, it’s not only important students understand the value employers place on speaking another language.

“They should also become aware of the number of German companies in the UK who are looking to recruit German speakers.

“The vibrant atmosphere and enthusiasm of our students has been amazing.”