Modern Foreign Languages

Primary Curriculum Champion

Miss Graham

Secondary Subject Leader

Miss O'Loughlin

Curriculum Intent

In the Modern Foreign Languages Department, we are striving to develop confident, capable and articulate linguists, who can work independently across the four skill areas of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, using appropriate vocabulary, transferable language, tenses and complex structures, whilst expressing opinions and offering justifications on a wide range of topics. Through the curriculum we are also developing students’ awareness and understanding of the countries where French/ Spanish is spoken, their people and culture. In the classroom we are encouraging students to be resilient, understanding that learning from their mistakes is crucial to success.

Language learning is themed around relevant topics and ensures that, the appropriate vocabulary; grammatical structures and linguistic skills are introduced and revisited at regular intervals, throughout students’ learning experience. The spacing and interleaving of skills and vocabulary are evident across our schemes of learning and our curriculum gradually introduces increasing levels of complexity over time, to stretch and challenge students.

We are aiming to reinforce positive ideas around diversity and difference by developing students’ awareness and understanding of the countries where French/ Spanish is spoken, their people and culture. TheEuropean Day of Languages is celebrated each year to embed the notion that language learning and the secondary skills, which are encompassed within this, are important. Curriculum time is allocated to raising students’ aspirations by opening up their minds to the outside world and how languages can be beneficial to them.

We are aiming to generate students with high aspirations, resilience and independence so that they can maximise the opportunities they are given to progress both with their language learning (especially those students who would continue studying a Modern Foreign Language at a higher level) and in life in general, broadening their horizons and cultural experiences simultaneously. We are also endeavouring to develop students’ communication and literacy skills through the curriculum to enhance their opportunities for success in the future.