Modern Foreign Languages

We aim to:

• Inspire students to communicate effectively in Spanish / French
• Foster attitudes of tolerance and understanding and develop cultural awareness
• Make students aware of the benefits of language learning
• Heighten students’ awareness of the structure of language both native and foreign
• Teach valuable transferable skills: communication, problem solving, creativity, ICT, literacy, numeracy and performance

In Years 7 and 8 students study Spanish or French. We aim to make language learning a positive, enjoyable experience through a variety of teaching and learning activities:

• Performance through role play, puppet shows, presentations and songs
• Competitions using dice, mini white-boards, move cubes, beach balls, countdown timers etc.
• ICT such as interactive white-boards, language learning websites and the Internet for Spanish / French media
• Cultural points of interest: music, festivals, traditions, food and literature

In Years 9, 10 and 11, students currently study GCSE or NVQ Spanish. We build on students’ prior learning to encourage competent, confident linguists who can:

• Deliver presentations and converse in the foreign language
• Write in a variety of different styles
• Read and understand authentic texts and spoken language

We are fortunate to have the support of a Foreign Language Assistant to develop students’ cultural awareness and conversational Spanish both during Modern Foreign Language lessons and through enrichment activities after school.

Department Staff