Languages

The main aims of the department are to inspire the next generation of linguists so that they develop a love of learning languages and promote a greater understanding of other cultures. We teach the students how to express a range of ideas and opinions in a different language using different tenses as well as communication for practical purposes. In this way, the carer prospects of the students are improved through knowledge of a  Language.

To do this, students are taught about the importance of languages for their futures. Along the languages corridor, we have an extensive display illustrating the multitude of uses of languages both in professional terms and recreationally. There are case studies of former students who have used languages in a variety of ways. . It is also pointed out to students that universities look extremely favourably on candidates with language qualifications. We hope that both of these help maintain the motivation of students.

The Languages department regularly organises study visits to the countries where the languages taught are spoken. Last year, there was a year 11 trip to Paris and a year 9 and 10 trip to Normandy. This year, there are trips to Normandy, Hamburg and Barcelona. These trips are extremely important, as one of the best ways of learning a language is by visiting the country itself and speaking it. Moreover, such visits give an important insight into the target culture; most of the students return with an improved knowledge and motivation.

Aside from motivation, the Languages department aims to consolidate on the excellent exam results of the past few years, by further reducing the number of students failing and by increasing the number of 7-9 grades. To do this, the department have worked together to create a bank of resources and to share ideas and good practice. We also organise regular study sessions to support underperforming students. In this way, we have seen a clear improvement in our GCSE and A-Level examination results.

Curriculum
Students choose two of the following languages to study between years 7 and 9: French, German, Spanish. At the end of year 9, students choose which language(s) they wish to continue with until GCSE level. All students take a GCSE in at least one language.

Year 7 French: classroom language, greetings, phonics, alphabet, classroom objects, dates, family, opinions, house and home, prepositions, animals, colours and adjectival agreements, avoir and être, weather, sports with ‘jouer’, regular –er verbs in the present tense, ‘aller,’ countries, near future.

Year 7 German: classroom instructions, greetings, numbers, alphabet, phonics, family, physical appearance, characteristics, pets, colours, opinions, regular verbs in the present tense, countries, rooms and furniture, clothes, ordering food in a snack bar, sports, project on Germany.

Year 7 Spanish: getting to know Spanish speaking countries of the world, classroom instructions, greetings, alphabet and phonics, numbers 1-31, colours, classroom items, hobbies, sports, giving opinions, weather, Christmas, family members, physical appearance, personality, pets, describing where you live, discussing plans for the weekend, future tense, school.

Year 8 French: town, near future, daily routine, present tense (regular, irregular, modal, reflexives, negatives), school, food, hobbies, perfect tense of ‘avoir’ and ‘être,’ holidays, future simple.

Year 8 German: food, , school, 12 and 24 hour clock, hobbies, perfect tense with ‘haben’ and ‘sein,’ transport, daily routine, chores, future tense, holidays, presentations.  

Year 8 Spanish: food and drink, healthy living, internet and social media, TV and film, musical tastes, holidays, past tense, future tense, shopping, daily routine, family and relationships, global issues, the Spanish speaking world

Year 9 French: food and drink, music, sport, TV and film, social media and gaming.

Year 9 German: music, food and drink, TV and film, sport, social media and gaming.

Year 9 Spanish: sport, TV and film, music, social media and gaming, food and drink.

GCSE
Course/s offered: GCSE French, GCSE German, GCSE Spanish
Board: AQA (All Languages)
Specification code/s: 8658 (French), 8668(German), 8698 (Spanish)

Website: 
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/french-8658
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/german-8668  
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/spanish-8698


Year 10 French: my studies; life at school; me, my family and friends; travel and tourism; healthy vs unhealthy living, home, town, neighbourhood and region; technology in everyday life.

Year 10 German: my studies; life at school; me, my family and friends; travel and tourism; healthy vs unhealthy living, home, town, neighbourhood and region; technology in everyday life.

Year 10 Spanish: my studies; life at school; me, my family and friends; sport; customs and festivals; technology in everyday life; home, town, neighbourhood, and region; travel and tourism; healthy living.

Year 11 French: environment; poverty and homelessness; charity / voluntary work; education post-16; jobs, career choices and ambitions.

Year 11 German: environment; poverty and homelessness; charity / voluntary work; education post-16; jobs, career choices and ambitions.

Year 11 Spanish: charity / voluntary work; environment; poverty and homelessness; my studies; life at school; education post-16; jobs, career choices and ambitions.

Post 16

Sixth Form prospectus