Our vision in the Modern Foreign Languages department is that all language learners develop the skills and confidence to consider themselves as ‘World Citizens’ who belong in a multicultural, mutually respectful world. We aim to support students to understand other countries and cultures so that they can be more open and adaptable to new experiences.

The department is committed to developing strong, lifelong linguistic skills and to encourage students to become curious and interested in the world. Ultimately, we want our students to have a love of languages, and aim to achieve this by nurturing a linguistic curiosity and an intrinsic motivation to explore and respect other cultures and people.

We endeavour to inspire all MFL practitioners/peers through collaboration, support and modelling exceptional practice. Students need to be resilient language learners.  

Within the MFL classroom, we consistently emphasise that it is ok to make mistakes. We believe where students learn is in deciding how they move on from these errors.

Opportunities for reflection are built in at regular intervals, and the curriculum is designed to build students’ independence.

KS3

Students study either French or Spanish for 2 hours a week during Year 7 and 8, and they

• begin an adventure that ensures progression through knowledge of grammar and skills; a bespoke linguistic journey for each student begins.
• understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of sources.
• speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.
• can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using an increasing repertoire of language and grammatical structures.
• discover and develop an appreciation of and curiosity for the cultures and people of the French and Spanish speaking world.

KS4

The AQA course across all MFL languages incorporates the latest GCSE specifications and enables students to:

• develop their ability to communicate confidently and coherently with native speakers in speech and writing, conveying what they want to say with increasing accuracy.
• express and develop thoughts and ideas spontaneously and fluently.
• listen to and understand clearly articulated, standard speech at near normal speed.
• deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts.
• acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to a rich range of authentic spoken and written material, adapted and abridged, as appropriate, including literary texts.
• develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where the language is spoken.
• be encouraged to make appropriate links to other areas of the curriculum to enable bilingual and deeper learning, where the language may become a medium for constructing and applying knowledge.
• develop language learning skills both for immediate use and to prepare them for further language study and use in school, higher education or in employment.
• develop language strategies, including repair strategies.

STAFFING

Gill Sims – Subject Learning Leader
Nicole Gibbs –MFL teacher
Madi Mendoza –MFL teacher
Victoria Ratcliffe –MFL teacher
Kerry Shields - MFL teacher

HOMEWORK

Home Learning in MFL

KS3:

30 minutes every week.

Part 1: Independent Skills Work.
Part 2: Vocabulary learning.

KS4:

60 minutes every week.

Part 1: Independent Skills Work.
Part 2: Vocabulary learning – all vocab is posted on quizlet and part of the vocabulary learning process should be to use this forum.

ENRICHMENT & EXTRA CURRICULAR

In KS4 there is a French immersion study visit to a Château in Normandy, and a Spanish exchange study visit to Madrid.

ASSESSMENT

We assess regularly in MFL through our ongoing day-to-day monitoring of class work and homework, with teachers providing students with live feedback. We use this information to adapt our teaching and ensure our students are making progress. Every module has a mid-cycle checkpoint and a final assessment, which enables students to demonstrate the skills and knowledge achieved. Students are asked to reflect on personal progress and identify key areas for improvement.