KSA celebrates European Day of Languages

KSA was a hive of activity on Tuesday, as children embraced activities to celebrate the European Day of Languages! The playground was soon bursting with colour, as children arrived wearing clothes in a wide variety of colours to match European flags. Popular choices were Germany and France, however the Scandinavian countries were also well represented.

The Croissant Café opened for tasty treats at break-time: c’etait délicieux! It was the perfect opportunity for real-life role-play and the children impressed Mrs Kilbey with their clear and confident French speaking: “Je voudrais un croissant, s’il vous plait.” At lunchtime, the European Landmarks Treasure Hunt kept children occupied as they searched high and low across The Quad and playground for a variety of famous landmarks and monuments. Winners will be announced in Celebration Assembly on Friday, so watch this space!

The European Day of Languages is an annual celebration; it provides the opportunity to celebrate linguistic diversity and consider the benefits of speaking another language. Whilst the European Union has 24 official languages, it is estimated that there are over 225 languages spoken altogether.

We are very proud of our MFL provision at King’s St Alban’s; we deliver French lessons to all children from Nursery to Year Six. Each session is carefully planned to suit each age group, with plenty of games and action songs for our younger children as well as more structured, in-depth vocabulary learning with reading and writing exercises for children in Years Five and Six. The direction of all our French learning leads towards the ever-popular study visit to Normandy, which takes place towards the end of Year Six. Rich in both cultural and linguistic opportunities, it’s the perfect destination in which to practice our French speaking skills.

One of the highlights of this year’s European Day of Languages celebrations was the arrival of seven Year 11 pupils from KSW, who came to share their passion for Spanish, German and French. This was a moment of pride for the whole Foundation, watching teenagers step outside their comfort zones to deliver lively and interactive sessions with our Year Three and Four pupils. Counting games, bingo, animal songs and simple greetings inspired our KSA pupils to speak a new language.

Louis, in Fifth Form at KSW, claimed he really enjoyed it and might even like to become a teacher!

Savannah in Year Three said she “loved learning French with Jess and Cerys and learning the names for all the animals I would like!”

It is always a pleasure to watch the children at KSA connect, and the European Day of Languages has provided the perfect opportunity for the whole King’s community to be curious, to be caring and to be confident.