On Wednesday 23 April, an Evening of Excellence was held to celebrate the many talented students and their achievements in Modern Foreign Languages at our school. 

Unlike in many creative subjects (like music or drama, for example), MFL students rarely get the opportunity to perform and show off the skills they have learnt. French teacher, Mrs Brear, wanted to change this and ensure that parents/carers and the wider community got to see just how fantastic our language learners are. Our students gain amongst the top results in the country in their French exams at both GCSE and A level, with 44% of our Year 11 students last year gaining a level 9 - compared to the national rate of around 10%.

Students talked for 1-3 minutes in French about a topic of their choice. Questions followed, led by Clara, our foreign language assistant. Refreshments were then served whilst a panel of native French speakers from Paris deliberated on the presentations. Captain Mark Walker OBE gave an inspirational speech about the power of learning languages and then the evening concluded with all students being presented with a certificate of participation and a winner from each year group being presented with an award. 

The speech given by Captain Mark Walker OBE highlighted the fact that technology in languages can never replace human interaction and understanding, making the learning of languages ever relevant in our evolving world. He said "Technology is incredible. Translation apps, AI, and instant messaging can certainly make life easier—but technology alone can never replace the human connection that language creates. It might translate words, but it can’t translate trust, empathy, cultural understanding, or genuine relationships. These are qualities uniquely built by people willing to learn each other's languages and customs."

Students spoke on a vast range of topics from environmental problems to the French music industry; the immigrant population from the Maghreb region of northern Africa to 'The crime of passions'. Speaking in front of an audience is always a little daunting, so for our students to do this in another language is remarkable. 

Teacher Hannah Brear said "The rainbow of emotions felt by me and everyone in the room - nervousness, pride, excitement - was clear. Mostly, I was quite simply inspired and motivated to keep doing what I do, which is a great feeling after 25 years of teaching. It truly was an evening of excellence, and I am extremely grateful to our inspirational guest speaker, Captain Mark Walker OBE, our judges from Paris, and our French assistante, Clara. Thanks and huge congratulations to all our incredible students for taking this opportunity to step outside your comfort zone, celebrate your achievements and make me the proudest French teacher on the planet."