Daily immersion
Assemblies, dining halls and clubs run language days where only the target tongue is heard — and used.
Programme three
A second tongue, a wider world
Languages at the Hollow are lived, not just learned. From the Lower School, pupils hear, speak, sing and play in their target language every single day with native-speaker teachers — then test it on exchange terms abroad in the Middle and Upper Schools.
French, Spanish, Mandarin and German run from beginner groups to literature seminars, alongside Latin for every pupil and electives from Arabic to Japanese.
What is included
Inside the programme
Exchange terms
A term with a partner school in Lyon, Salamanca, Taipei or Berlin, living with a host family and studying full-time.
Speech & drama
Annual plays performed entirely in French, Spanish and Mandarin — open to the whole town, subtitles included.
The journey
From first words to fluency
- 01Lower School. Songs, stories and play in one language, with native-speaker form teachers.
- 02Middle School. A second language begins; grammar firms up; the first exchange term departs.
- 03Upper School. Literature seminars, debating in-language, and bilingual diploma pathways.
Alumni voice
“I arrived in Salamanca nervous and came home arguing about football in Spanish. The exchange term changed everything.”
Jonas F. — Class of 2023
Questions, answered
Which languages can my child study?
French, Spanish, Mandarin and German as core options, Latin for all, plus electives including Arabic and Japanese in the Upper School.
Is the exchange term compulsory?
It is strongly encouraged and taken up by nine in ten pupils; bursary support covers travel and hosting costs where needed.
What if we join with no second language?
Beginner groups run in every year, with catch-up clinics twice a week until pupils are confident alongside their peers.