The Languages Department is housed in the new teaching block (completed August 2000). There are seven full time and four part time members of staff. The Department has sole use of a language laboratory and satellite television system.

On entering the school in Year 7, all girls begin to learn a modern foreign language (either French, German or Spanish). They are taught this language in tutor groups for three years. At the beginning of Year 8, a second language is selected from French, German, Spanish or Latin. All girls continue to study both languages until the end of Year 9, when they make their option choices. At this stage, pupils may also begin an ab initio course in Ancient Greek to GCSE level. They must continue to study one modern language, but many maintain the study of both their foreign languages to GCSE level. We are able to offer students the opportunity of taking a Foundation level GCSE in their first language at the end of year 9, if they decide not to continue with it to year 11. In addition, our most talented students in German follow a Fast Track course which enables them to take their GCSE early at the end of year 10 and then they study for AS German in year 11.

In the Sixth Form, all four languages are offered at AS and A2 level. We are fortunate to have a French "assistante" working with us, and several members of the department are native speakers of the language they teach.

The department employs a variety of resources in its teaching. French uses the course books Encore Tricolore in Key Stages 3 and 4, German follows the Deutsch heute course, Spanish uses the course books Vaya and Listos! and Latin uses the Cambridge Latin Course. Most upper school classes are taught in the Language Laboratory during one 35-minute period each week, and all classrooms are equipped with tape recorders, overhead projectors, window blinds, screens and white boards. From September all staff will have access to an interactive whiteboard and the department will also have its own digital projector. We use a range of teaching aids including song, video, DVD, drama and language games as well as stressing a grammatical understanding of the language being learned. We also make good use of the Information Technology suite of rooms, the Library and the satellite television system. The department recently completed its own website for use in and out of school and this is updated regularly.

The Languages Department runs several trips each year. The German Exchange with Sutton's twin town of Minden is well established and has been running now for over twenty years. Girls studying French in year 8 have the chance to take part in an educational visit to Paris and there is an Upper School study visit to Versailles. There is also an annual study visit to Spain for pupils learning Spanish. In 2003 a group of 40 girls from year 10 and year 12 stayed with families in Seville. The Classics department organises a trip to Italy every other year. Last year, they went to Rome and Sorrento. In addition, the Classics department provides girls studying Latin and Greek with the opportunity to go out of school on many day visits to lectures, museums and theatre productions. Sixth Form linguists often have the opportunity to go to foreign films, theatre productions and language conferences in London. Finally, staff also attend training days to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in language teaching.

The results for the department are in line with those of the rest of the school at Key Stages three, four and five.
In June 2004, approximately 74% of those sitting GCSE languages achieved either an A* or A grade. In 2004, twenty-eight girls from year nine also sat foundation level GCSE, and 100% of them achieved the top grade possible at this level. A group of 30 students in the Fast-Track German group took their GCSE in 2004 at the end of year and achieved 100% A* or A grades.