Zoom

"We have increased our uptake this year to approximately 5 groups of German - more than French, some dual linguists. This is due to input at KS3 in our feeder middle schools, but also because they enjoy the course. It allows for teaching to be challenging, differentiated and motivational."

Irene Walmsley, MFL Subject Leader at The King Edward VI High School, Morpeth

"We have also gone for Zoom Deutsch, and so far it has gone down well. The video material is a real hit with pupils, and the textbooks are up-to-date and relevant to KS3 learners. The topics covered are the standard ones, but the textbook emphasises the grammar from an early stage, which our pupils seem to like."

MFL teacher on the TES forum

"We have gone with Zoom Deutsch and are finding it very good. We had found Logo 1 very old-fashioned and a bit childish for our students, so were hardly using the book at all. But the Zoom books are much more up-to-date and the listening and video stuff is much more authentic. We have the resource Oxbox, which is fantastic for setting cover or for any less experienced staff members you may have. It has certainly made a difference to us in terms of workload, which is crucial at this time of year when everyone is loaded down with controlled assessments!"

MFL teacher on the TES forum

"We just got Zoom Deutsch this year. It is an absolute winner and has gone down so well with the kids. The video blogs you can watch are good too. Get the Evaluation Pack from Oxford."

MFL teacher on the TES forum

"The best 3 things about Zoom - relevant/teenager-friendly/up-to-date materials, well-structured course, OxBox is practical and can even be inspiring. I would recommend Zoom to other schools - it is much more up-to-date than its competitors, it is flexible and allows you to move at a pace which suits your school and your learners. So far, I am pretty impressed with the course and would recommend it, especially in schools (unlike ours) where uptake is a problem."

Rosie Neale, Head of German, Redborne Upper School, Bedford

"Attractive, interactive and well thought out."

Jane Joynson, The Crypt School, Gloucestershire

"We were looking for a new and exciting KS3 course that would engage our pupils and prepare them well for continuation at KS4 (60% of our pupils continue Languages at GCSE level). A number of the ML team were involved in making the choice to select the right course and all 4 of us were unanimous! We were impressed by the assessment resources for listening and reading that are marked automatically and the feedback that is produced for the pupils. As with other courses available, we liked the possibility to project the text book pages onto our white boards, zoom into specific exercises, access the materials from a central base, differentiated workbooks with more listening materials too. Moreover, the accompanying DVD clips were a major factor in our decision; we felt that our pupils would respond well to an ongoing drama based on a core cast of 4 German-speaking teenagers."

Ian Devine, Director of Study for Modern Languages, Fairfield High School for Girls, Manchester

"The course is excellent, modern, vibrant and the students are very, very positive about it. And I seriously wouldn't just say that. The OxBox and the video clips are amazing. The best course I've seen for a long while."

Nick Brown, Director of Language College, Lincoln Christ's Hospital School, Lincoln

"I opted for Zoom over other options before I left the school I was at. My "old" department there all love the book and the many resources such as the so-called Oxbox incl. (very recently produced) videos and interactive tasks. The book is very well structured and not loaded with too many distracting visuals but still appealing to the age group (KS 3). Some books can be crammed with stuff but this is indeed very übersichtlich. Students find things quicker and are more likely to look things up again independently etc. Also, it's the first year in a very long time that there are now 5 full German groups (usually only about 2 with around 20-25 students) going into GCSE course next year with more students opting for German than French!! I'd say it's a success."

MFL teacher on the TES forum

"I can vouch for Zoom as our German Dept teachers have been raving about it. They're trying to encourage us in Spanish to abandon Listos 1 in favour of the Zoom equivalent."

MFL teacher on the TES forum

"This course is easy to use, implement and updates the German lessons immediately. The videos are engaging due to the story and characters. Students genuinely want to know what is going on. The software is easy for any member of staff to access and students make good use of the e-book via the learning platform."

Julie Hunter, Head of MFL at Bradon Forest School in Swindon

"We use the Oxbox for our AS and A2 courses and have always been impressed by the standard and quality of the resources and so that's why we looked at Zoom in the first place. We like the fact that the course can be tailored to last either 2 or three years, which suits our curriculum perfectly. We chose Zoom because of our previous experience of resources and because we could quite easily meet the very different needs of all of our students by differentiating the resources provided. We find it very easy to use in conjunction with our existing resources and we also find it easy to export videos etc. so that students can view them personally and use as a model to create their own speaking and listening opportunities."

Kate Martin, Grove School in Shropshire

"I am really excited about seeing the finished version of the student book and will look to purchase the course when it hits the shelves!"

Suzanne Prout, Head of MFL at Ballard School, Winner of the German Embassy's Teacher of the Year Award 2010

"Zoom 1 video is ideal for teenagers learning Spanish. The Barcelona setting offers a rich cultural context and the soap opera-style story provides human interest and elements of humour. The four teenaged characters are attractive, with distinct personalities and a variety of accents. Key language is covered, spoken in a natural manner. This is a really enjoyable and engaging way for students to practise their Spanish listening skills."

Hilary Ratcliff Freelance editor