Modern Foreign Languages

Our aim is to offer an inspiring and academically challenging curriculum, where all language learners consider themselves as ‘World Citizens’ who belong in a multicultural, mutually respectful world.  

We want our students to be able to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand how to respond to its speakers, both in speech and writing. This will be achieved through teaching of subject knowledge such as vocabulary and phonics, which will be built upon with practice and embedding of linguistic skills, such as translation, reading, listening, speaking and writing. Cultural awareness and understanding of other people’s beliefs and customs also forms an integral part of our curriculum. 

The MFL department strives to make language learning meaningful, providing students with many opportunities for both collaboration and independent work in each lesson. The curriculum is designed to ensure that all four skills are covered in every unit, and that there are plenty of opportunities to revisit key skills and knowledge. All of the themes studied are taken from the Edexcel GCSE course, and include: • My personal world • Lifestyle and wellbeing • My neighbourhood • Media and technology • Studying and my future • Travel and tourism 

Low stakes testing is carried out regularly through various means, such as vocabulary testing, in-class retrieval practice, and through careful planning by teachers to ensure understanding and progression. Knowledge and skills will be assessed at set points, with each unit focusing on specific skills.   

Grammar skills are taught explicitly through every unit of work, revisited and built on every year in order to support students to speak and write more accurately.  

We aim to deliver a cohesive and logical curriculum which is reviewed on a regular basis, in order to ensure all students can access the curriculum, and that each student is challenged to achieve and be ambitious through careful planning.