Modern Foreign Languages
Knowledge of a foreign language such as French or Spanish is a concrete and demonstrable life skill. It can help you see things from a range of perspectives, operate across different cultures, develop your problem-solving skills, and make you more adaptable, resourceful and creative. Being able to speak one or several foreign languages has become one of the most sought-after skills in the professional world and is a major advantage on the international job market. Furthermore, an ability to understand and speak French and/or Spanish contributes to the development of your social skills and can enrich your travel experiences whether for pleasure or for work.
Spoken by more than 290 million people worldwide on five continents, French has truly become a global language. It is the official language of 29 countries including many areas of Africa. As the world’s fifth biggest economy and third-ranking destination for foreign investment, France is a key economic partner.
French is both a working language and an official language of the United Nations, the European Union, UNESCO, NATO, the International Olympic Committee, the International Red Cross and international courts.
More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide and it is an official, national, or widely spoken language in 44 countries. Spanish enjoys official language status in 21 countries across Europe, Africa, Central, South and North America, making it a very important global language. Spanish is one of the official languages of the United Nations, the European Union, the World Trade Organization, UNESCO, NATO and numerous other international organizations.
Key Stage 3
Pupils receive two lessons of French and Spanish per week and have the opportunity to engage in active and stimulating lessons which encourage communication. We aim to foster a love of languages in our pupils whilst broadening their horizons. We develop fluency and accuracy in the four skill areas, challenging and extending pupils of all abilities.
French
Year 7
- Tout sur moi / Personal information, physical appearance, favourite objects
- Mon monde perso / Personality, family, school subjects, friends
- Autour de moi / School, home and animals
- À table / Food
Year 8
- Mon quartier / Local area
- Ça, c’est mon truc / Lifestyle
- Destination vacances / Holidays
- Bouger, c’est important! / Sport and Leisure
Year 9
- Destination Vacances / Holidays
- Bouger, c’est important! / Sport and Leisure
- Le monde des médias / Entertainment and advertising
- Accro à la technologie / Technology
Spanish
Year 7
- Me presento / Introduction to Spanish
- Mi burbuja / Numbers, family and personal description
- Mis pasatiempos / Hobbies, sport, weather and culture
- Mi casa / House and home
Year 8
- Mi casa / House and home
- Mi insti / School and future plans
- En mi ciudad / Town and plans for the near future
- Dieta y salud / Diet and health
Year 9
- Dieta y salud / Diet and health
- ¡Por fin de vacaciones! / Holidays
- Aquí mando yo / The media, music and jobs
- Adict@s a la moda / Fashion and shopping
Assessments in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing take place at the end of each module. There is an annual summative assessment for each year group.
Homework is set once a week at Key Stage 3, this can include reading comprehension, extended writing tasks, vocabulary learning, revision for module tests, translation, interactive tasks on language learning websites or research on cultural topics.
KS3 Assessment Grid
Key Stage 4
The study of French and Spanish at GCSE should encourage pupils to further develop their ability and ambition to communicate with native speakers in speech and writing. The study of a language should also broaden their horizons and encourage them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries and develop new ways of seeing the world.
French and Spanish at GCSE allows pupils to deepen their knowledge of topics studied at Key Stage 3 as well as study new topics such as education post-16, career choices and ambitions, social issues and global issues.
French and Spanish are both counted as one of the English Baccalaureate subjects.
GCSE French
Awarding Body: AQA
There are four elements assessed.
Listening – 35 minutes Foundation Tier / 45 minutes Higher Tier – 25%
Speaking – Speaking test – 7-9 minutes Foundation Tier / 10-12 minutes Higher Tier – 25%
Reading – 45 minutes Foundation Tier / 1 hour Higher Tier – 25%
Writing – Written exam – 1-hour Foundation Tier / 1 hour 15 minutes Higher Tier – 25%
Pupils will be entered for either Foundation or Higher Tier. They will do the same tier in ALL papers.
These qualifications are linear, meaning pupils sit all their exams at the end of the course.
GCSE Spanish
Awarding Body: AQA
There are four elements assessed.
Listening – 35 minutes Foundation Tier / 45 minutes Higher Tier – 25%
Speaking – Speaking test – 7-9 minutes Foundation Tier / 10-12 minutes Higher Tier – 25%
Reading – 45 minutes Foundation Tier / 1 hour Higher Tier – 25%
Writing – Written exam – 1-hour Foundation Tier / 1 hour 15 minutes Higher Tier – 25%
Pupils will be entered for either Foundation or Higher Tier. They will do the same tier in ALL papers.
These qualifications are linear, meaning pupils sit all their exams at the end of the course.
Pupils receive homework twice a week. This can include reading comprehension, extended writing tasks, vocabulary learning, translation, interactive tasks on language learning websites or exam style questions related to the content studied in each module.
Practice assessments will take place at appropriate points throughout the course. In the Year 10 examinations and Year 11 mock examinations, pupils are assessed in all four skills.
Further Study
A GCSE in French or Spanish will open up many opportunities for further study. Academic routes will take pupils on to A Level and a variety of degree courses at university. A Modern Foreign Language is an excellent supporting subject for a variety of career paths, for example, Marketing, Business, Law and Tourism.
Of course, each language can be further studied in its own right, leading to careers in Translation, Teaching and Journalism. The language student possesses many transferable skills highly valued by employers such as communication, team working, presentation, problem-solving, organisation and tolerance