Russian

Russian is offered in Year 10 as an ab initio two-year course to GCSE. It is a stimulating, but also demanding option recommended for strong and confident linguists. It can be taken only as a second or in exceptional cases third modern language.

Russia is the world's largest country and is spoken by over 150 million people, making it Europe's most widely spoken language. Its history is as controversial as it has been turbulent, but following a period of relative stability it is once again emerging as a major European and global force. Indeed it has recently become a member of the G8. Nationally, there is a shortage of well-qualified Russian linguists and this makes it an attractive option for business and banking.

Russian is a member of the Slavonic group of languages and, once its alphabet has been mastered, basic expression is not excessively complex. Its grammatical structure is not dissimilar to German and it is also completely phonetic. This course aims to provide pupils with a solid foundation in the language so that they can express themselves with clarity and panache. To this end we do place emphasis on written accuracy as well as spoken fluency.

Links: Modern Language Society