Last Friday, we were delighted to host an ISSP Languages Day, welcoming pupils from local schools for a day dedicated to linguistic exploration, cultural discovery and collaboration. Hampton ISSP, works with LEH, Hampton School, Hampton Academy, Orleans Park School, Tolworth Girls School, Hollyfield School, and Teddington School on a varied programme of partnership activities.
During the day, students took part in immersive activities focused on their main modern foreign language, before broadening their horizons further through exciting taster sessions in new languages including Italian, Russian and Japanese.
Throughout the day, film played a central role in bringing languages and cultures to life. Pupils explored cinema from across Europe and beyond, using it as a springboard for discussion, vocabulary development and historical understanding. The opportunity to work alongside students from other schools also made the event especially memorable. Reflecting on the French strand of the day, Artemis, shared:
“In the French group, we watched a film called ‘Belle et Sébastien’, which we later explored in depth and worked collaboratively on different activities related to the film. One aspect I found especially valuable was looking at all of the vocabulary that we were able to pick up on throughout the film and understanding any words that we were unsure of. After our sessions looking at our main languages, we were able to attend taster sessions of a language of our choosing. I chose Italian and, in this session, we learned a variety of useful vocabulary and phrases. I found it especially interesting to recognise the similarities between languages we were already learning and a completely new language. Overall, the day was a great opportunity to challenge our language skills, meet new people and have fun.”
— Artemis, Year 9
Charlotte, who took part in the German programme, highlighted the creativity and enjoyment of the day:
“Everyone got to engage in several fun and interactive activities for their chosen language. I was doing German where we got to watch and discuss a German film which was an enjoyable and creative way to explore the language and culture. In the afternoon there was also the opportunity to participate in a taster session for a language we hadn’t studied before which was a great way to develop our language skills beyond our studies at school. Overall, it was a very fun, inspiring, and enjoyable day and a great experience to explore languages further.”
— Charlotte, Year 9
The Spanish group also explored language through film, with a strong focus on culture and history. Alisa reflected on her experience:
“¡Hola! I had an incredible time at the ISSP Languages Day on Friday 30th January. My day as a part of the Spanish group began by watching a fascinating and remarkably gripping Spanish film called ‘La Lengua de las Mariposas’. I found this activity a great way to explore the Spanish culture and history and it allowed me to learn a wide new range of vocabulary throughout the film. Later, we studied the film more extensively by analysing specific scenes, unpicking their meaning, and discovering the links between Spanish history during the 1920s, a period of political instability. Finally, we were given the wonderful opportunity to attend a taster session of a completely new language. I chose to try Japanese as I was intrigued by its unique and distinctive nature. Overall, my favourite part of the day was meeting students from many different schools as it was especially exciting to form new friendships while sharing a common interest in languages.
By the end of the day, it was a shame to say goodbye to the many amazing people that I had met.”
— Alisa , Year 9
The ISSP Languages Day was a fantastic celebration of linguistic curiosity, cultural understanding and community, leaving students inspired to continue exploring languages both inside and beyond the classroom.
