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Catholic School with Italian G.C.S.E

36 replies

Buttercup2000 · 29/01/2022 21:29

We are looking to move but can't decide where.
But the main thing is the Catholic schools.
Does anyone know of any Catholic High Schools that do Italian G.C.S.E?
Preferably not in London (can't afford the house prices there unfortunately).
Also would like a catholic primary school near by that also does Italian (not essential).

I've tried looking on the internet but is hard to work out which catholic schools do the Italian G.C.S.E and seems to come up with a lot of London ones.

If anyone knows of any local ones to you please let me know.xx

OP posts:
ablisha · 29/01/2022 23:04

Yes they run numerous coach services to the secondary school from Hoddesdon and surrounding areas

Buttercup2000 · 29/01/2022 22:59

[quote ablisha]It would appear the feeder St Augustine's Primary school in Hoddesdon do Italian lessons.

https://staugustines.herts.sch.uk/herts/primary/staugustines/site/pages/schoolinformation/breakfastclub__/italianlessons[/quote]
Thankyou. If I based myself in Hoddesdon would there be a bus that went to Bishops Stortford to get to the high school?
I'm just thinking I would want be closest to the primary school as I have more children at primary school age.

OP posts:
Abagisforlifenotjustfor · 29/01/2022 22:58

Thomas Moore in Bedford: www.st-thomasmore.org.uk/page/?title=MFL+%2D+Italian&pid=345

ablisha · 29/01/2022 22:52

It would appear the feeder St Augustine's Primary school in Hoddesdon do Italian lessons.

https://staugustines.herts.sch.uk/herts/primary/staugustines/site/pages/schoolinformation/breakfastclub__/italianlessons

namechanged221 · 29/01/2022 22:49

My daughter took Italian GCSE and A level too.
She was at a normal academy (not catholic) but they're a specialist language school and also OFSTEAD outstanding
She's studying modern foreign languages at Uni now.

ablisha · 29/01/2022 22:48

It's a very good school, nice area but also has feeder schools in Ware, Hoddesdon, Puckeridge and potentially Hertford.
All have direct links into Liverpool St. if you want to visit London.
The school website is stmarys.net
I went there as a child but plan to send my own son there for secondary.

Buttercup2000 · 29/01/2022 22:27

@ablisha

St Mary's in Bishops Stortford. Outstanding across the board. Feeder primary Catholic schools in Hoddesdon where there is a huge Italian community. Let me know if you would like to know anymore.
Brilliant. Thankyou. If you know of any more that would be great.
OP posts:
ablisha · 29/01/2022 22:26

St Mary's in Bishops Stortford. Outstanding across the board.
Feeder primary Catholic schools in Hoddesdon where there is a huge Italian community.
Let me know if you would like to know anymore.

Buttercup2000 · 29/01/2022 22:25

@clary

OP you don't say where you are local to, so that might help.

TBH tho (MFL specialist here) I would not base my choice of schools on this as you may find it is extremely limiting.

In 2018 only about 32000 students took GCSE in any MFL apart from German, French or Spanish - so that would include Urdu and Punjabi, both of which are quite popular in areas where they are the tongue spoken at home, as well as Italian, Russian and Mandarin. About half of those were taken in year 10, which suggests (to me at any rate) that they were taken outside school, early, in other words by students who spoke the language at home and did the GCSE as an early entrant, perhaps entirely out of school.

So we are talking about perhaps 15,000 students in year 11 taking a different MFL. So perhaps (random figure) 3,000 taking Italian in school - if that many, as I know of schools that offer Punjabi, Urdu and Mandarin, but I do not know personally of any that offer Italian (obviously some will of course, but it suggests that this is a less popular offering). Say it's 2,000. That is a tiny tiny number.

If Italian is important to your family, it might be easier to source a tutor familiar with the exam and study at home for an external entry, and then find a Catholic school that suits in other ways.

Thankyou. I have a tutor but it is costly. I would rather the children learnt it at school as I find they pick it up better.

They are currently at a catholic school but learning Spanish which is very similar to Italian so confuses them a bit.

OP posts:
Buttercup2000 · 29/01/2022 22:22

I don't mind where. I'm looking to move so any area in England.

OP posts:
clary · 29/01/2022 21:59

OP you don't say where you are local to, so that might help.

TBH tho (MFL specialist here) I would not base my choice of schools on this as you may find it is extremely limiting.

In 2018 only about 32000 students took GCSE in any MFL apart from German, French or Spanish - so that would include Urdu and Punjabi, both of which are quite popular in areas where they are the tongue spoken at home, as well as Italian, Russian and Mandarin. About half of those were taken in year 10, which suggests (to me at any rate) that they were taken outside school, early, in other words by students who spoke the language at home and did the GCSE as an early entrant, perhaps entirely out of school.

So we are talking about perhaps 15,000 students in year 11 taking a different MFL. So perhaps (random figure) 3,000 taking Italian in school - if that many, as I know of schools that offer Punjabi, Urdu and Mandarin, but I do not know personally of any that offer Italian (obviously some will of course, but it suggests that this is a less popular offering). Say it's 2,000. That is a tiny tiny number.

If Italian is important to your family, it might be easier to source a tutor familiar with the exam and study at home for an external entry, and then find a Catholic school that suits in other ways.