The entire school took on a global perspective with pupils of all ages dressed in internationally-inspired ensembles for the day. From a Bahamian marlin to the Chinese flag and a pack of endangered Senegal lions to traditional Thai dress, pupils transformed themselves with a vast array of outfits inspired by countries ranging from Iceland to Nepal.
Classes also had the opportunity to broaden their cultural horizons by investigating the traditional pastimes, customs and cuisine.
The European Day of Languages is annually celebrated across Europe every September. It aims to promote the 6000+ languages spoken around the world and raise awareness of the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone.
As part of the days celebrations, traditional language lessons were swapped for taster sessions in Mandarin, Portuguese and Thai to raise awareness of other languages and promote cultural and linguistic diversity.
Senior school pupils spent their lessons investigating these lesser studied languages before sharing their new found knowledge with younger girls in the Prep School.
Head of the Ancient and Modern Languages Faculty, Mrs Sue Murley said: “Our girls are always so enthusiastic to celebrate European Day of Languages and this year they have really surpassed themselves. Today’s celebrations are all about sharing and it’s been wonderful to see our community embrace so many new cultures and get talking about the world around us.
“It can often seem like English is spoken everywhere; our pupils hear it in the media and often don’t have the chance to encounter the vast array of other cultures and native tongues out there on a regular basis. Stepping outside their linguistic comfort zone really broadens our girls’ horizons which is so important in a world which is becoming increasingly international.”
Assembly saw the whole school sharing fascinating facts about other cultures while lunch brought a mouth-watering array of foods from Latin American to the Welsh borders. Even the Pre-Prep classes joined in with teacher, Miss Helen Mills, swapping their usual elevenses for a Brazilian-inspired snack.
