Staff

Miss C Fernandez Head of languages

Curriculum Intent

Studying a foreign language provides students an opening into other cultures. Languages are part of the cultural richness of our society and the world in which we live and work. Learning languages contributes to mutual understanding, a sense of global citizenship and personal fulfilment. The ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure in this country and throughout the world. We have high expectations of all our students and are unapologetic in our pursuit of academic excellence. Learning languages gives pupils opportunities to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and to express themselves with increasing confidence, independence and creativity. We teach grammatical structures, syntax and vocabulary; using the correct terminology and making explicit links to English and other foreign languages’ grammatical structures and vocabulary. We build the cultural capital of our students by embedding their linguistic acquisition within a framework which introduces them to a wide range of knowledge beyond their own cultural experience and sets them up as intercultural citizens.

PRIDE Values and Departmental Ethos

The MFL department is committed to supporting all students to consistently produce work above expectations. Students are encouraged to be determined when work is challenging and empowered to work collaboratively and independently. Our curriculum stimulates high levels of engagement and ensures all students feel a sense of belonging through authentic diversity threads, showing respect for themselves and others.

Impact Goals

• Develop confidence and competence in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
• Become proficient in grammatical structures and syntax, applying knowledge across languages.
• Engage in cultural enrichment activities to broaden horizons and global awareness.
• Build resilience, independence and creativity in language learning.
• Understand career opportunities linked to language learning and make explicit connections between content and future pathways.
• Develop intercultural citizenship and respect for diversity.

KS3 Intent

At KS3, the curriculum emphasises building cultural capital and inquisitive learning. Students develop resilience and independence through a broad curriculum covering topics such as family, school, hobbies and holidays. Grammar progression includes present tense, opinions, connectives and introduction to past and future tenses. Cultural comparisons (e.g., school systems) and authentic resources are embedded to deepen understanding.

KS4 Intent

At KS4, students follow the AQA GCSE specification, developing ability to communicate confidently with native speakers in speech and writing. Topics include environment, voluntary work, poverty and inequality, broadening cultural horizons. Grammar is taught in greater depth, building on KS3 knowledge with new tenses and complex structures. Assessment is rigorous and continuous, covering all skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking) with GCSE-style questions embedded from Year 7.