Modern Foreign Languages

We are proud to be able to offer students the chance to choose French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Italian as foreign language options. From absolute beginners to A-level, we aim to inspire a love of language learning, to foster a deep understanding of how languages work, and to develop the cultural flexibility needed for modern careers. A key part of students’ experience are the trips and exchanges we run, giving pupils the skills and confidence to use their foreign languages when they are abroad or with native speakers.

What we teach

All pupils at Dulwich College study at least one language to GCSE, and many will choose to take an additional language. Year 7 begins with all pupils studying one European language (French or Spanish) and Mandarin Chinese. In Year 8 pupils will continue their European language, and can choose Chinese, German, or Latin. In Year 9 pupils will continue their European language, and are given the opportunity to continue Chinese, German or Latin, or start French, Spanish, German, or Chinese from scratch. In Year 10 pupils will choose one or two languages to take at GCSE; the very best pupils may be given the opportunity to sit the GCSE early and then begin an A-level preparatory course or take an accelerated GCSE course in Italian. Many of our pupils choose to continue their language studies into the Upper School, with A-level courses in French, Spanish, German, and Italian, and an HSK course for Chinese.

Enrichment

In addition to school-based co-curricular provision that includes after-school lessons in Japanese or Arabic and lunchtime MFL societies, we organise trips in the UK that include study days at the BFI, film screenings, visits to language institutes, and outings to Chinatown. We also actively encourage pupils to participate in language competitions, including the Stephen Spender Translation Prize, the Anthea Bell translation competition, GCHQ’s National Language Competition, London Schools’ French and Spanish debating competitions and the UK Linguistics Olympiad.

We also organise a wide range of annual and biannual language trips abroad to destinations in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and China. Pupils find these trips hugely motivating, giving them genuine opportunities to engage with speakers of the language they have been studying.

Destinations

Our students continue their language studies after their time at Dulwich in a variety of ways. Each year we support students’ applications to read Languages at Oxford, Cambridge, and other leading universities, and we have significant experience preparing them for university interviews and language tests. Students also increasingly apply to joint degree courses where they can combine their interest in languages with Law, Business, History, Politics, or Economics.