Modern Languages
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 have the opportunity to spend a week on work experience in Spain. Students have in recent years gone on to study Spanish at Nottingham University, French at Oxford, Modern Languages at Manchester and Leeds, and various combined courses in Management plus a modern language.
A level Results
2017-21 | A*/A | A*-B |
| French | 70% | 96% |
| Spanish | 65% | 76% |
| Italian | ||
| German |
Modern Languages Staff
Amparo Boix
Amparo is a Spanish native Speaker who has a QTS and has lived over 30 years in Spain. Her classes are taught in the target language maximising the opportunities for the student to be exposed to the language and affording them the opportunity to immerse themselves in Spanish culture.
Amparo has a 5 years law degree from Valencia University and includes in her lessons the values of Democracy and the rule of the law through the Spanish A level curriculum.
Amparo is raising her children as bilingual and has a passion for teaching Spanish that she shows as a voluntary leader in a Spanish community club in St Albans where they promote the learning of the Spanish language for children through games and craft activities.
Tony Lewis
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 travelled, Tony loves exploring new places and is not afraid of an adventure.
Olivier Tarot
Olivier is a French native speaker who has 20 years’ experience of teaching modern language in the UK, 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 works at the French Institute, where he teaches general and specialized courses, on site or online. He is an IGCSE and A Level examiner for the Edexcel exam board, as well as a certified assessor for the DELF exam. 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.
Dianne Bluston
Since growing up in Australia, Dianne has lived and taught in France, Israel and Turkey. In Britain she has had many years’ experience teaching EFL, IELTS, ESOL and EAP to international teenage and adult students at secondary and tertiary level, including at Middlesex, Worcester and Queen Mary universities. She taught IB English B and Social Anthropology at the International School of London and was an IB examiner as well as an oral examiner for ESOL Skills for Life. She loves learning about her students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds
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.
