Languages and International Awareness at Chesham Prep
Throughout their time at Chesham Prep, children are introduced to and learn French and Spanish, with 1 lesson a week until Year 6, when pupils increase to 3 lessons a week. We see languages as a pivotal and extremely beneficial part of the curriculum at Chesham Prep, helping to improve all-around cognitive skills as well as enhancing soft skills such as problem-solving, empathising with others and critical thinking.
In the early years, children learn Spanish and French through song, dance and play and tactile learning experiences. Every lesson, led a specialist teacher, focuses on being fully immersive, enjoyable and fun where the enjoyment is key. Connecting new language to familiar activities – food likes and dislikes; traditional and joyful celebrations as well as through games and dance allows new language to bed in, almost without the children realising it. This bedrock of playful learning provides a strong base for when a more structured approach is introduced in Year 2 onwards, when the focus turns to the four key skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing.
