style | life Languages, the key to a brighter future RYDE SCHOOL
Research shows that UK graduates in modern languages have one of the lowest unemployment rates of all subjects studied. It’s not surprising when you consider that over 60% of British trade is with non-English speaking countries and 75% of the world’s population does not speak English.
Y
et according to The Guardian newspaper, foreign language learning in most of Britain’s schools has been in decline for decades, with the number of teenagers taking traditional modern foreign languages at A-level at its lowest level since the mid-1990s.
At Ryde School with Upper Chine we are delighted that this has not been the case. Teachers and students here recognise that whatever your career, the ability to meet people and converse with them in their own language is essential in a global economy. This is why at Ryde School we believe that languages are vital and why French is compulsory at GCSE. “Ensuring that students have a basic knowledge in a foreign language may be all it takes to make them stand out from the crowd,” says Tracy Hall, Head of Modern Foreign Languages at Ryde.
Our students can also opt to study GCSE Spanish alongside French, a choice which has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Jodi Dyer, Head of Spanish explains, “I think students have come to realise that Spanish is spoken by an estimated 350 million people around the world and is currently the 4th most commonly spoken language worldwide.
“Languages have broadened my mind to other cultures and give me the opportunity to work and travel abroad. Right from Year 7, languages have captured my interest which has led me to study both French and Spanish at A level.” Joseph Urry, Captain of Hockey. Yr 13
This is why more and more pupils are opting to study Spanish alongside French at GCSE and A level.”
It’s not just modern languages that are studied. Latin GCSE is an extracurricular activity and is really popular with students of all ages, even though the classes are held at 8am. Our Mandarin club is also well attended, and no wonder with China’s growing economy.
As an MFL department, we are very proud of our results at GCSE and A-levels. 60% of GCSE French students achieved A or A* last year and over 92% achieved the same in Spanish. The number of students here opting for A-levels in MFL has also risen with many becoming dual linguists and going on to study languages at Russell Group Universities.
Our next Open morning is on Saturday 8 February, 2014, 10.00 am to 12.30 pm
RYDE SCHOOL WITH UPPER CHINE, Queen’s Road, Ryde, Isle of Wight, PO33 3BE t: 01983 562229 e:
school.office@rydeschool.org.uk w:
www.rydeschool.org.uk
November / December 2013 85
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