Modern Foreign Languages

Our Modern Foreign Languages department provides a comprehensive range of options tailored to every learner. From the First Year to Upper Sixth, pupils may choose to study French, German, and Spanish as part of their curriculum. Beyond these elective subjects, our activities program offers expert tuition in Japanese, Italian, and Russian.

We are equally committed to supporting our multilingual community. We provide preparation and (where possible) tuition for students sitting GCSE or A Level examinations in their home languages. We are currently supporting candidates in Mandarin, Cantonese, Portuguese, Arabic, and Turkish, ensuring every pupil's heritage and linguistic talent are recognised and celebrated.

At Bede’s, language learning is a lived experience. As a vibrant multicultural community with over 40 languages spoken on campus, pupils benefit from authentic, first-hand practice beyond the classroom.

We begin GCSE preparation in the First Year, providing extended exposure to cultural nuances and exam techniques. To ensure fluency and confidence, we provide dedicated weekly small-group or one-to-one speaking sessions for Upper Fifth students, while A Level linguists receive private weekly tuition. This personalised, immersive approach ensures our pupils don’t just prepare for their examinations—they become confident, global communicators.

Pupils can get involved with numerous activities to enhance their language learning. Each September, we celebrate languages through a range of competitions and events such as our famous open mic event, language quiz and spoken word competitions. Our most talented linguists are invited to enter the illustrious Anthea Bell competition for young translators organised by Oxford university to inspire creativity amongst language learners. We also promote languages through various masterclasses in different languages to engage our linguists on topics not covered in the curriculum such as literature and history. Our Sixth Form pupils also get opportunities to meet one another to discuss their independent research projects and encourage each other with strategies. 

There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to visit the countries where the languages studied are spoken. We run residential trips every two years to Spain and France, with our most recent trips to Salamanca and Nice. During these visits, our pupils get to enjoy language lessons to enhance their speaking skills, enjoy cultural activities such as flamenco dance lessons in Spain, learning about the protection of the environment by visiting the Oceanographic museum in Monaco and sample the variety of the local cuisines.