Brampton’s modern languages department is staffed by teachers whose expertise can rival that of any other department in the country, offering French, German, Spanish, and Italian. The department has a tradition of excellent A level results, and in French there is also the chance to take the internationally recognised DELF qualification at various levels.
The department is situated in its own fully equipped languages room, and students are encouraged to make use of its extensive DVD and foreign language book resources. Films, trips to foreign language cultural events, and all the resources of the internet supplement the highly individualised classroom teaching. Spanish students also normally spend a week on work experience in Spain. Students have in recent years gone on to study Spanish at King’s College, London, French at Oxford, Modern Languages at Manchester and Leeds, and various combined courses in Management plus a modern language.
Results 2015-17
French: 5 As and 4 Bs
Spanish: 4 A*/A, 4 Bs and 3 Cs
Italian: 2 A*/A, 1 B
German – 1 A
Modern Languages Staff
Tony Lewis BA (HONS), MA, PGCE
Tony is an inspiring and very popular teacher of Spanish, who came to Brampton after a distinguished career as Head of Modern Languages in four different schools, and latterly at Chingford Foundation School. He is a specialist in Latin America. Very well traveled, Tony loves exploring new places and is not afraid of an adventure.
Olivier Tarot BA, MA, MAITRISE FLE, PGCE
Olivier is a French native speaker who has 18 years’ experience of teaching modern language in the UK, teaching at various levels, including 6 years as Head of French. He has taught French and Spanish in primary and secondary schools , sixth form colleges and Further Education institutions. He also teaches at the French Institute, where he teaches corporate, business, diplomatic and online courses. He is also an IGCSE and A Level examiner for the Edexcel exam board. In his spare times, he enjoys cycling, swimming, running, outdoor activities and travelling.
Marion Adler
A native German speaker, Marion Adler graduated from Middlesex University and has taught GCSE and A Level German since 2002, with a strong track record of success in both one-to-one and classroom settings. Marion believes learning a language cannot be done in isolation and needs to be part of a larger realm of study which encompasses culture, history, art, film and literature. She has extensive experience coaching her students to achieve their full potential and particularly enjoys helping students boost their confidence in preparation for their exams. Marion has also successfully prepared A Level students for university admissions interviews including Oxbridge applications. Nothing gives Marion more joy than seeing young people succeed.
Nadia Gai MA, PGCE, MCIL
Nadia is an Italian native speaker with eleven years of experience in teaching both in private and state secondary schools and sixth form colleges across London. For her, teaching a foreign language is a way for spreading the enthusiasm for learning about other cultures and countries, making her students open to communication and making them accept and respect people with different customs, thus helping young people to grow as persons with cosmopolitan ideals. Nadia also acts as a translator and interpreter and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists.
In her spare time Nadia enjoys classical ballets and musicals and has recently started to be interested in antique books fairs, but for the moment she dedicates most of her free time to raising her three-year-old son and she takes advantage of every possible occasion to travel. With him, of course.
Aliza Zietzer RSA LING DIP, CTEFL
Alisa has been teaching English as a Foreign Language since 1990 and has worked with refugees, asylum seekers, academics, teenagers and children. She has concentrated on IELTS for the last six years and enjoys seeing the progress made by international students, many of whom arrive in the UK with minimal language skills and go on to study a wide array of subjects at British universities. In her spare time she likes learning about different cultures and travels as much as possible.
Modern Languages Students
Anjlee Bakrania studied Spanish, German and Biology at the College. Here she tells us about her work experience in Spain:
“There are so many good reasons for doing this kind of work programme, I don’t know where to begin. First, you get to experience a culture totally different to our own. I chose to go because I love travelling, and it was an excellent way of improving my Spanish speaking skills. It gave me the perfect opportunity to strengthen my Spanish and it was a great way of making new friends. Valladolid is a great city that has a lot to offer students and visitors. It offers beautiful ancient architecture and fantastic history. Every street corner would lead to a church, and the people were so friendly. Overall, it was a great experience and I have many ‘recuerdos’ of this trip for years to come.”
