Modern Foreign Languages

The MFL department has four dedicated classrooms with exam board issued textbooks in Spanish, German and French that follow the updated curriculum. In addition, online resources are used as well as authentic texts, video clips and music which are accessible from home by the students in order to use in their homework assignments or for their own learning.

Students have opportunities to develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in 2 modern languages throughout Key Stages 3-5.

Curriculum

The MFL curriculum has three key aims:

• To enable students to understand and communicate in a foreign language for their own enjoyment and to prepare them for the challenges of the current modern life.
• To promote a deeper understanding of foreign cultures and give students the opportunity to appreciate and understand world diversity.
• To build on grammar skills taught in English language lessons, promoting a better understanding of how language works, which will give them independence and ownership to use the foreign language.

Key stage 3

In Key stage 3, the skills and topics that are covered in each year are filtered down from the GCSE requirements. There is repetition of the skills and topics throughout the learning journey, in order to consolidate understanding; with the work becoming progressively more challenging each year to allow for a greater depth of knowledge. The MFL curriculum is structured to allow equal coverage of the key skills areas (listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation in both ways) in every year group.

In years 7 and 8, students learn Spanish. Using the Viva 1 and 2 books they study topics that are relevant to their daily life. This year, the year 9 cohort is divided between French and Spanish learners. During the latter part of the year, students begin the AQA GCSE course.

Key stage 4

For GCSE we follow the AQA course. In addition to covering the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing to cover the required content, lessons are also enriched with authentic source material to ensure a varied educational experience. Currently, one half of the year 10 cohort studies Spanish and the other German, while in year 11 the cohort is split between French and Spanish learners.

Key stage 5

Currently, we offer Spanish and German at A Level, which both follow the AQA course. Students are able to expand their skills learned at GCSE. In addition, they will study a film and a book.

For Spanish this is:

‘La casa de Bernada Alba’ by Federico García Lorca

‘El Laberinto Del Fauno’ directed by Guillermo Del Toro

And for German:

‘Der Besuch der alten Dame’ by Friedrich Dürrenmatt

‘Das Leben der Anderen’ directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Enrichment

Incorporated into the curriculum are opportunities for students to investigate Spanish, German or French speaking countries and their culture. To celebrate the European Day of Languages, for example, students are encouraged to take part in a variety of activities and competitions, designed to broaden their understanding of foreign languages and countries.

In addition, a trip abroad is offered in year 7, alternating between the region of Cantabria in northern Spain and Cologne in Germany.

To promote and celebrate a good learning ethos, students of the week are nominated by all Languages teachers.