About Us
The German Academy is run by teachers with roots in the German speaking countries and many years of experience in language teaching in the UK. It is important to us to pass on authentic German language, and the culture and values of the German speaking countries.
We don't just teach, but immerse students in a German speaking world. To support this, there are lots of German language projects and events running throughout the year. We support language learning and bilingualism from an early age, and promote cross-cultural understanding.
We are a non-profit organisation, funded and run solely by contributions, and the huge commitment and engagement of our teachers, parents and students.
The German Academy was originally founded in August 2010 in Leicester (UK) as a German Saturday school with the aim of offering active, experience-oriented German lessons for our own bilingual children. More than a decade later, all our students are still immersed in a German-speaking learning environment, where they will experience adventures, build new friendships, and have lots of fun. Active, playful learning and building lasting German-speaking relationships have always been central to us.
Over the past 10 years, many more Saturday schools across the UK, two German kindergartens and a variety of offers for all German levels and ages have been added. We organise afterschool clubs, offer private lessons at various locations and have as an additional offer been teaching ONLINE since 2020. We also love to travel to the German-speaking countries with our students to experience the culture up close. Altogether more than 1000 students are actively involved in the GERMAN ACADEMY at the moment.
Our goal is to give our students a German-speaking identity or to strengthen it, and to make German a natural part of their lives.
Class sizes are kept small throughout the German Academy for lots of individual attention. All our teachers hold a recent DBS check and are native speakers and/or have C2 level German proficiency.
German For All Ages
1
Children
The development of German language skills can only take place holistically. That's why we play, laugh and discuss together, have many an adventure - and all of it in German. Whether we create our own pizza or hide in the grass as lions - it's always about the adventure itself, and we do it with a lot of energy and interest. We learn the German words, sentence structures and expressions required for this almost unknowingly. This active teaching and learning runs consistently through our offer for children. It turns classes into groups that hold together, and random acquaintances into German-speaking friendships.
2
Teens
We prepare students for a German GCSE or A-level exam in small groups. They must be at least 11 years old for GCSE, and students from 13 years who have reached grade 8 or 9 in their GCSE-exam can start with A-level training. Our teachers are experienced in all exam boards. It is especially important to have a German A-level for students who consider studying in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. At most universities in those countries, a British German A-level counts as both a language subject and proof of German.
Teenagers from 14 years can also work as helpers at the GERMAN ACADEMY!
3
Adults
We use "Welcome" for reading, listening, writing and speaking, but are always open to individual requests in our small groups.
The adult groups at the Saturday Schools are also regularly involved in cultural activities, and have access to book and DVD libraries. And all of this while the children learn in their own Saturday School groups.
We also offer ONLINE lessons for adults who would like to learn from home 1:1 or in small groups.
TELC Exams
We offer telc (The European Language Certificates) exams to our students - German language examinations for children from 10 years, teenagers and adults. The exams are ranging from A1 for beginners to C2 for language skills at the highest level. They correspond to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and are accepted as a qualification by employers and further education institutions in many countries.