“Kolik jazyků znáš, tolikrát jsi člověkem.“ (Czech Proverb)
“We are fortunate to speak a global language but, in a smart and competitive world, exclusive reliance on English leaves the UK vulnerable and dependent on the linguistic competence and the goodwill of others.” Nuffield Language Enquiry 2002
Have you ever really considered why language learning is important?
Here at Newport Girls' High School, we are privileged to teach French and German to girls who are very aware of both their surroundings and of different cultures. We are living in a forever-shrinking world – new technology certainly opens the doors for direct contact with other countries but this will never replace true, face-to-face contact with our neighbours. Other nationalities learn and use English because it is practical to do so, but we, as English speakers should not expect them to use it all the time. Linguistic ability amongst future medics, engineers, politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs, lawyers etc serves to make them stand out from the crowd and succeed in a demanding and competitive workplace.
At Newport Girls' High School, we hope to share our passion for languages and encourage the discovery of new cultures and countries. Not to learn languages is to be ignorant of the world around us. As teachers, we try to enthuse and engage our pupils through a range of fun, interactive and creative activities as well as more traditional methods. The key to any language is grammar and once mastered, it provides the stepping-stone to the world. We have four language rooms and five dedicated, specialist members of staff.
A long-standing NGHS highlight is the visit to Europe. One visit is to Northern France where Y8 students stay full board in "Le Chateau de Warsy" which was built in 1725 and is now part of the Manor Adventure Group. The Chateau is surrounded by an exceptional estate consisting of 88 acres unspoilt woodland and parkland which includes two natural lakes. Located at the focal point of a small hamelt in Picardy, it is situated less than two hours from the Channel ports. During their stay, students have experienced a range of activities such as a visit to a French Bakery. Students have also visited some of the Battlefields of WW1 in the Somme area, a visit to "Parc Astérix" as well as visiting the town of Amiens where students will be able to practise their transactional skills.
The second visit is to Rhineland, Germany. The year 8 students stay at a hotel in the picturesque town of Boppard on the banks of the river Rhine. The group have visited a medieval castle, enjoy a boat trip on the Moselle river, tour a quirky clockwork musical instrument factory and finally spent a day at Germany's leading theme park; Phantasialand.
We celebrate European Day of Languages every September with a variety of events in school. In the past this has included a multi-lingual cake sale, treasure hunts, quizzes and lots of prizes. Last year, students took part in the prestigious Anthea Bell competition which is a translation competition for schools. The Prize was launched in 2020 by the Translation Exchange at The Queen's College, Oxford and had over 25,000 participants in 2026. The competition is inspired by the work of the translator Anthea Bell OBE (1936-2018), one of the finest and the most influential literary translators of the 20th and 21st centuries.
We truly believe that learning and using foreign languages leads to mutual understanding, to a sense of global citizenship and to personal fulfilment; the ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure in this country and throughout the world. As the old Czech proverb says:
“You live a new life for every new language you speak.” (Czech Proverb)
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Faculty Staff
The faculty comprises a strong team of experienced practitioners who are all qualified to teach more than one language. We are delighted to have two native language speakers (M. Audouin and Frau Rosbach) among our team, both of whom teach their native tongue to A-level. To ensure the highest standards in teaching & learning, most of the faculty specialise in one particular language.M. Audouin joins NGHS in September 2022 from a Language College in Essex. He completed his PGCE at NGHS in the late 1990s and, after a career teaching around the UK and abroad, he has returned to NGHS.
Monsieur C. Audouin Head of Faculty, French Mrs T Fujii Second in Faculty (KS3 MFL Lead)
Teacher of German & FrenchMiss R Crevis
Teacher of German & French Mrs M Holmes Teacher of German & French
(Maternity cover for Miss Crevis)
Mrs H Furnival Teacher of French Mr S Matlak Teacher of German and French -
Faculty Vision / Intent
The MFL Faculty teaches French and German. We aim to create and develop enthusiastic and successful learners. Students who study languages at NGHS should be curious about the world around them and enjoy learning about how that world is shaped by languages and the people who use them. We are committed to establishing a learning environment that encourages students to feel confident about taking risks and developing informed opinions about the world around them.Students will have opportunities to independently extend their skills beyond the classroom and therefore prepare for life where they belong in a global market place. All students will be offered the opportunity to visit France or Germany and will have the opportunity to practise the language in authentic environments, and will be offered several opportunities to find out about how learning a language can be useful for their further study or careers.
Fundamentally, our team want to inspire, foster and nurture a love of foreign languages and a greater respect for the cultural appreciation of the countries in which they are spoken.
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Curriculum Sequencing
Please use the links below to access the curriculum sequencing documents:
Curriculum Sequencing KS3-5 French
Curriculum Sequencing KS3-5 German As well as the curriculum sequencing documents above, at NGHS, we produce a short curriculum summary for each year group. We call these 'Learning Overviews' and the primary audience is for students/parents to know how the curriculum is mapped in a particular year group.
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Learning Overviews KS3-KS5
Please use the links below to access the Learning Overviews for each key stage:
Learning Overview - Year 7 French
Learning Overview - Year 7 German
Learning Overview - Year 8 French
Learning Overview - Year 8 German
Learning Overview - Year 9 French
Learning Overview - Year 9 German
Learning Overview - Year 10 German
Learning Overview - Year 10 French
Learning Overview - Year 11 French
Learning Overview - Year 11 German
Learning Overview - A-level French
Learning Overview - A-level German -
Examination Board Links
Please use the links below to access the correct external exam board websites for each qualification offered by this faculty:
GCSE
GCSE French (AQA)
GCSE German (AQA) A-level
A-level French (AQA)
A-level German (AQA) -
Faculty Accommodation
Faculty Accommodation:
The Faculty is mainly housed in three classrooms in our Reception building. These were constructed in 2018. Light, airy and purpose-built, these are ideal spaces for language learning.
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Wider Opportunities
The faculty prides itself on opportunities for pupils to practise their language learning abroad.
Wider Opportunities:
The faculty prides itself on opportunities for pupils to practise their language learning abroad.
In 2024-2025 we offered:
- A cultural visit to Northern France for Year 8 students.
- A cultural visit to Boppard in Germany for Year 8 students.
- Support in German for KS4 and KS5 classes.
- Talks from former alumni.
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Relevant website links
The Faculty recommends students use the following websites to aid their learning:For French:
https://www.wordreference.com/
https://www.reverso.net/text_translation.aspx?lang=EN
https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/Hotpotatoes/frenchindex.html#gsc.tab=0
https://www.instagram.com/nghs_mfl/ (our MFL Instagram page)
Key Stage 3:
Key Stage 4:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zhsvr82
Key Stage 5:
For German:
All Key Stages:
https://dict.leo.org/german-english/
https://www.reverso.net/text_translation.aspx?lang=EN
https://german.net/?fbclid=IwAR2jCi1kJPd614op02bsT52r5R-cppXf-CxrHKzXZ_JsJDvhW4ZjKyW7oec
https://www.languagesonline.org.uk/Hotpotatoes/germanindex.html#gsc.tab=0
Key Stage 3:
https://www.thefablecottage.com/german
Key Stage 4:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zhsvr82
Key Stage 5