‘Little Languages’ exposes our Pre-Prep students to different languages and cultures from around the world. Fun and engaging activities are used to increase their knowledge and understanding and, as well as celebrating linguistic diversity, it offers a sound initiation as a basis for formal language-learning commences in the Preps.

Formal French learning commences in Year 3 and continues throughout the Preps. Once in Year 6, our girls are able to put their learning into practice during a three-day residential trip to Côte d’Opale in France.

Spanish is introduced in Year 6 and our pupils find that they are able to progress quickly due to the skills and knowledge they have built through learning French.

Having both French and Spanish on the curriculum in the Preps is a wonderful advantage of studying at St Augustine’s Priory. Additionally, lessons are taught by language specialists who also teach in the Senior school. This ensures that your child is challenged academically and it guarantees a smooth transition between Key Stages 2 and 3.

Modern Languages classes at Key Stage 3 are taught in sets so that those who learnt French and Spanish previously can continue to be stretched and challenged whilst learners new to the languages can feel comfortable as they embark on their learning journey.

We are incredibly privileged to offer Russian from Year 7 as an alternative to Spanish.

Whilst it is not compulsory to take a language for GCSE, almost all students at St Augustine’s Priory choose a language as one of their options, with some opting for two.

Native speakers are supported towards taking the GCSE in their home language. 

The A Level course offers an opportunity to study a language in depth, tackling a variety of academic topics and global issues in the target language. We often have students who go on to read languages at university. In addition, many A Level students who pursue other subjects at university choose language modules as a way of continuing their language learning.

Sainte-Marie occupies the site in Neuilly, Paris, where our school was located from 1862 until 1911 when we moved to England. Each year Year 8 students participate in an exchange and take part in lessons with their penpals. Our students are also able to enjoy the sights of Paris such as Versailles, the Eiffel Tower and a boat trip along the Seine as well as Versailles. We receive immense hospitality from our hosts in Paris, and we are able to offer the same in return during their yearly visits to London.

In addition to our visits to Paris (See ‘Sainte-Marie de Neuilly Partnership’) Years 12-13 (Key Stage 5) overseas trips include: 

• Years 5 - 6 visiting Cote d’Opale in France;
• Years 10 -13 homestay exchange to Spain every other year;
• Trips to countries where Russian is spoken take place regularly, for example Estonia and Georgia.  

Yearly Spelling Bee Competitions:

Years 5 to 11 participate each year. Trophies and prizes are awarded to those who place in the top three.

Poetry Competition:  

Year 8 pupils participate  in St Mary’s University Poetry competition final.

Multicultural Dress-Up Day:   

 Celebrating cultural diversity of our school community. Pupils have the opportunity to perform in their home language.