German is an extremely important language. It is actually the most widely spoken native language in the whole of the European Union. 18% of EU citizens are native speakers of German. As the official language of both Germany and Austria, German is the mother tongue of about 90 million people in these two countries alone, but is also recognised as an official language in Luxembourg and Belgium and spoken in non-EU countries such as Switzerland and Liechtenstein. 65% of the Swiss are native speakers of German.

 

It is estimated that worldwide there are about 120 million native speakers of German and that a further 80 million people speak German as a foreign language. Recent surveys indicate that after English, German is now the second most widely used language on the Internet and the country is ranked third in the world’s book market, the very first printing press having been invented in Germany in the 15^th century. German is also closely related to Dutch, Swedish, Danish and Norwegian, making it very easy for German speakers to acquire a knowledge of these other languages.  

 

The German economy is immensely successful and as such has a huge impact on the international labour market. Germany has the strongest economy within the EU and the fifth strongest economy in the world. It is also the world’s second biggest exporter after China and interestingly, it is actually the UK’s largest non-English speaking trading partner. Unsurprisingly, Germany is a magnet for international trade fairs, annually attracting about 160 of the most important of these events and German is the third most widely taught foreign language.

 

A qualification in German is not only important for pupils who may go on to study languages at university or do a combined degree course such as German and Law. Given that over the centuries many individuals from the German-speaking world have made huge contributions to numerous different fields, encompassing both the arts and the sciences, a knowledge of German can be extremely useful in a wide variety of specialisations. The German-speaking world has most impressively produced a total of 103 Nobel Prize winners and is well known for its many inventions such as X-rays, aspirin, the Geiger counter, Bunsen burners, Fahrenheit thermometers, the diesel engine and jet engine, not forgetting the first car and motorcycle, space rocket and fully automatic digital computer. Other significant inventions include the pocket watch, the light bulb and Walkman as well as the MP3 player. It is often recommended that scientists learn German, given the undisputed scientific prowess of the German-speaking world. 

 

The German department is led by a German specialist and we offer German to GCSE and A’Level on the main school curriculum in alternate years. There is a two-year intensive course to GCSE in years 10-11 for absolute beginners, based on five lessons per week in small groups, followed by one-year courses for both AS and A2 German, again in small classes. Our examination results are most impressive and pupils from other schools, joining KEHS in the sixth form and opting for German as one of their A’Level subjects, have also done very well with us over the years and are most welcome in our groups. 

 

Girls in a year group not offered German on the main curriculum have an opportunity to learn the language outside normal lesson times, so nobody misses out. There are currently about 50 girls who have just started a 4-year GCSE course of this nature with the possibility of further study to A’Level in the future when these girls reach the sixth form.

 

The school employs two Erasmus students from Germany to work as assistants within the department, so that the girls have regular opportunities to practise their German conversation with native speakers.

Extra-curricular activities
The German department believes it is extremely important for the girls to develop an awareness of the cultures of the German-speaking world, as they learn the language and activities to help promote this wider understanding of the subject are organised on a regular basis. Most recently, girls have seen a modern film version of the German children’s classic ‘Emil und die Detektive’ at the Midland Arts’ Centre and have also been to the theatre to see a brand new production of ‘Biedermann und die Brandstifter’ written by Swiss playwright, Max Frisch and performed by the Birmingham School of Acting at the Crescent Theatre.

 

Many of you are no doubt familiar with the well-known confectionery slogan – ‘Haribo macht Kinder froh und Erwachsene ebenso!’( Haribo makes children happy and adults too). Within the department, we would like to think that learning German has the same effect on us all, that is ‘Deutsch macht Kinder froh und Erwachsene ebenso!’