Staff and pupils at The Sir John Colfox School were delighted when congratulations were received from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) on the "significant achievement" of being re-designated a specialist language college for the third time since their original designation in 1999.  "We are always very pleased when our work is recognised" said language college coordinator, Nicki Schantz, who added, "as a language college, we are able to provide valuable opportunities for students to learn about different cultures to respect those differences as well as discovering their own cultural identity."  With a growing number of international partners in countries such as Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Taiwan and Ghana, students are able to participate in international curriculum projects and travel abroad and have really benefited from the language college.

For example, they have the opportunity to establish friendships through letters, artwork and poems with students in Ghana while at the same time learning the importance of concepts such as sustainable development and fair trade.  In a project with the Taiwanese Department of Culture and Education, the school is very fortunate to have a Taiwanese assistant each year.  Students are introduced to basic Mandarin and Chinese culture with the option to attend after school or lunchtime Mandarin classes.  In a celebration of Asian culture, year 8 students participate in an Asian Day full of activities such as calligraphy, Thai cooking, karaoke, sumo wrestling and Bollywood dancing.  This is just one of several focus days which take place at the school.

The school is currently involved in a Comenius project with schools I nSpain, Germany and the Netherlands and one student was able to travel to Germany recently to take part in a 'European Workshop'.  Mercedes Ferguson said, "it was a very enriching experience.  It instils confidence to know that you can converse in the language you learn as well as being able to see how other young people's views on Europe compare to ours."

As well as offering the opportunity to study five different languages, the important of language and culture is being embedded across the curriculum.  "We promote the important of language learning as a key skill for employment and are continuing to develop our programme of activities in year 9 to reflect this", Nicki Schantz explained.  "Students participate in a Frontiers Day where they have to design and market a restaurant in a foreign language or take part in teams in an Olympic style games representing one of 13 different countries.  Through 'Routes Into Languages' the University of West of England visit promoted the benefit of language learning.  Added to this, students will be working with members of local business, the Regional Language Network and the Jurassic Coast team in a competition to develop tourist brochures in one of three foreign languages with the chosen winner in each language having their brochure produced professionally and distributed in local businesses.  This is an extension to the pod casts recently created for the Jurassic Coast website and is also part of the work within the community to promote languages in tourism in an effort to support local businesses in the run up to the 2012 Olympic Games.  In addition to this, we support primary schools and colleagues in West Dorset with French language refresher courses as well as other aspects of primary language learning.  We also run a programme of adult evening classes in Spanish and Mandarin.

"Language College status is very important to the school", said Headteacher, Kay Taylor.  "It means that students in Bridport have opportunities other students do not have and which give them an edge in a global market. It also helps us to combat prejudice and discrimination as we value other cultures.  I am delighted we have been re-designated and I firmly believe this is a real cause for celebration for all in our community."