Languages Specialism

We are now in our second period of specialist school designation as a Language College. Over the past five years foreign language teaching in the school has flourished and we are making a real impact on language teaching across the south of Waltham Forest .

The funding available to the school has enabled us to employ additional language teachers and language assistants as well as equipping all the Modern Language classrooms with networked interactive whiteboards. The advancement in teaching expertise in utilising the whiteboard technology has spread across many other areas of the school, driving school improvement in ICT.

We are leading the way in developing primary school language teaching by delivering French classes in three of our feeder primary schools. We support the work of all language teachers in the area by providing training and resources for secondary schools across the south of the borough. The development of language teachers in our partner schools, led by our Advanced Skills languages teacher has helped our languages department to stay at the 'cutting edge' of languages teaching.

All pupils now study two languages during their first three years and are encouraged to study two languages at GCSE by taking one GCSE early in Year 10. In addition, some pupils go on to study AS level languages in Year 11. At Connaught we have thriving French, German, Spanish and Urdu departments.

Our range of extra curricular language provision is extensive. We run educational visits to Boulongne, Germany, Spain and Italy and we are developing links with other European schools through our Science Across the World Club.

Connaught is the 'hub' for young families to come together to study languages. For a small charge of £10 families can study French, Spanish, Arabic or Turkish for 10 weeks in a friendly environment. This initiative is providing a stepping stone for many adults to get back into the education system through The Community Learning and Skills Service (CLaSS). Details of family learning and other adult courses for 2007-8 can be found in the CLaSS Prospectus 2007-8.