MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Overview Of The Subject
Our main aim in studying Modern Foreign Languages is to provide pupils with an experience of learning languages that fosters their curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world through learning them. By communicating and interacting in other languages we want them to become familiar with the countries, communities, and cultures which use the languages they study and gain an interest in learning about other cultures and languages to prepare for future study.
We aim to enable pupils
to understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of (ultimately authentic) sources;
to 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;
to write at varying length, for different purposes and in different registers, using a variety of learned grammatical structures to improve the accuracy of their production;
to discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
To this end French and Spanish are taught to GCSE.
In 2022-23 pupils in Year 7 study half a year of Spanish and half a year of French, choosing their core language to take to GCSE from Year 8 onwards. In Year 7 pupils follow the NCELP programme of study, that they will be following to the end of Year 9.
In 2022-23 pupils in Year 8 and 9 study French as their core language and are able to opt for another language, Spanish.
Pupils can be entered in any home language where a GCSE is available from the exam boards in Year 11 or Year 10, but will not receive tuition from the school. This offer of home languages is made to express the value we place on the diversity of our school’s community. We believe it is crucial for students to continue to develop their home language at an academic level and expresses the importance of their cultural identity as expressed through their language.
Aims Of The Curriculum/Curriculum Intent
The KS3 Curriculum has several objective including developing an enjoyment and taste for languages as a life skill; developing an understanding of how language works and promoting cultural awareness through language.
The MFL curriculum also aims at laying a solid foundation for further learning while at the same time providing some basic communication ability to those pupils who do not continue with languages for GCSE.
By the end of KS3 our ambition is for pupils to have enough confidence to enjoy speaking French or Spanish to each other. Pupils will also be aware and conscious of some key principles in the studied language (gender agreement, verb use and tenses, pronunciation rules, etc.) and work towards mastering them at a lower/restricted level.
All KS3 lessons will include speaking, writing, listening and reading as well as dissection of languages to understand their dynamics.
Curriculum Content KS3
Year 7
Our French and Spanish curriculum starts with building on the knowledge acquired at KS2 whenever applicable, but also provides for those who did not have any or insufficient learning in a language at Primary school.
We follow the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP) programme which is an initiative funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and co-directed by The University of York and The Cam Academy Trust. The Schemes of Work are based on the acquisition of Grammar, vocabulary and Spelling Sounds Correspondances, with an emphasis on frequency and re-usability, where topics can be relegated to a back ground.
Pupils will be assessed with a baseline test that will not only assess their knowledge, but also their natural inclination for languages. This will determine the set they will be learning in, and that will be revised 3 times per year.
Because pupils have the responsibility to learn vocabulary, lesson learning focuses on skills more than on memory, helping pupils who have already done French or Spanish to find a new independence while those who have not been exposed to languages will benefit from a relatively level playing field start. All pupils start languages by a basic understanding of grammar: gender of nouns, adjectives and the basic notions of tenses. They get to grips with the base for a successful pronunciation.
Year 8
In French pupils extend their vocabulary and reinforce their knowledge of grammar. Applied to the topics of family and friends, leisure, school, the world around them (countries, cities, home) and holiday, they will talk and write about what they do, are going to do, or did. They deepen their understanding of how words in a sentence interact with each other (grammar). They might also be able to take part in our exchange with a school in Germany, sanitary situation allowing.
In 2022-2023, Spanish is offered in Year 8 to pupils who have chosen to study a second language. Topics covered include talking about yourself, school, home and family, where you live and free time activities. The pupils build on their language learning skills acquired in French lessons. Since pupils are only taught one hour a week they are offered online support assignments to help them achieve the required level to start a GCSE at the end of KS3.
Year 9
All pupils continue learning French, studying more mature themes as social life, jobs and future. Pupils extend and consolidate their writing skills and aim to talk about what they do at school, what they want to do in the future and discuss environmental issues.
Those who started studying Spanish in Year 8 continue in Year 9 by extending their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar using past, present and future tenses. Topics covered include: films, your birthday, jobs, future plans, healthy lifestyle and world issues.
Modern Foreign Languages GCSE
Our curriculum prepares Students for The Edexcel GCSE.
We intend that the vast majority of pupils study a language to GCSE. We believe that Language study is important because it enables pupils to 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 in another language. We believe this ability to express and develop thoughts and ideas spontaneously and fluently is transferable to their first language. We believe that Language study at a higher level develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where the language is spoken. It also encourages young people to make appropriate links to other areas of the curriculum to enable bilingual and deeper learning.
MFL study allows students to develop their ability to communicate with French or Spanish native speakers in both speech and writing. Pupils will study across a variety of contexts relevant to their age and interests and will also develop a greater awareness of French and Spanish culture- speaking communities and countries. Our teachers are native language speakers who fully support and contribute to this important aim.
Students progressively develop and use their knowledge and understanding of French and Spanish grammars through their course of study and build on their range of vocabulary to enable them to communicate confidently and independently in “real” life situations, and to go onto further study in these languages should they wish to.
Aims Of The Curriculum/Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum in the GCSE course aims of course at giving pupils the opportunity to achieve a grade that will help them gaining entry to the course their wish. Beyond this, it also aims at arming the pupils with enough confidence to use their language skills in life for any opportunity that could arise. To achieve that, we try to include as much material as possible relevant to the age group we are teaching. That includes a deeper reflexion on French and Spanish languages compared to English and encouraging a more creative and spontaneous use of language.
Specification
These 2 years constitute the GCSE course. Pupils in French and Spanish start studying for the Edexcel GCSE, when they are assessed at the end of Year 11 in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Speaking examinations will occur in April. Themes of study include: local area; holiday and travel; school; identity and culture; future aspirations; study and work; international and global dimension (the latter will be made avoidable in the writing exam for Foundation candidates).
Curriculum Content KS4
These 2 years constitute the GCSE course. Students are taught in mixed-ability groups, based on their option choices.
Year 10
Pupils in French and Spanish start studying for the Edexcel GCSE, when they are assessed at the end of Year 11 in reading, listening, writing and speaking.
Themes of study include: identity and culture; local area; holiday and travel. To maximise their potential, students consolidate their use of main tenses and use their knowledge of grammar to improve accuracy when they create language. Students learn how to use and adapt the language to “inform, narrate and convince”; most of them will start using more complex grammatical constructions to express more individual thoughts and opinions. In speaking, they will be expected to have a steadier speech. Their end of year exam will be a strong indication of the expected performance in the exam the following year (even though).
Year 11
Year 11 lasts 2 terms. The first term is the continuation of the curriculum content learning. Students will study the topics of school life; future aspirations; study and work; international and global dimension, over one-half term each. The last half term will be given to more individual revisions, preparation for the exam (generally at the start of May) and the previous permitting, extensions of the grammar and vocabulary knowledge.
Additional Information
For those pupils who find the subjects challenging there is a weekly intervention (Tuesdays at lunch and Thursday after school for French) which they are encouraged to attend, especially at KS4.
Some MFL prefects (Y11s) and Y10 volunteers will support KS3 pupils who can attend sessions on Wednesdays after school.
For those who want to go further and achieve higher grades the same session will provide stretching-up material, especially in Grammar. This is important for those who wish to prepare for KS5 French or Spanish, a very valued qualification where expected levels are higher than for GCSE.