In the 21st century, competence in a different language and intercultural understanding are not optional extras, they are an essential part of being an active citizen. Learning a language opens a world of new possibilities and opportunities. Through language learning, we promote pupils’ curiosity, problem solving skills and broaden their understanding, not only of their own identity and culture, but also that of other countries. Furthermore, by gaining a qualification in a Modern Foreign Language, we are building pupils’ communication and literacy skills and preparing them for a globalised world of work.
Within the MFL Department we have recently adopted the Dr Gianfranco Conti approach based upon his Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) method. We have reviewed our Programme of Study and created teaching resources to implement these EPI methods into our lessons allowing students to gain confidence and fluency and prepare them for the demands of the GCSE course from the start of Key Stage 3.
Our EPI approach includes sentence builders central to all lessons and a large emphasis on listening to the target language to help model target constructions. Our approach is separated into 4 key areas.
– Modelling / Awareness Raising
Students are presented with target language chunks, where extensive drilling of these chunks of language is experienced through games and speaking activities.
– Receptive Processing
Students experience an extensive range of listening and reading tasks where there is lots of comprehensible input, thorough processing and input flooding. This phase develops students decoding skills and fluency .
– Structured Production
Students focus on the chunks in more detail and are provided with consolidation practice. They are given the opportunity to produce the target language in a structured and safe context.
– Expansion and Spontaneity
Students experience planned communicative tasks, under a less controlled environment to allow them to work on their fluency and spontaneity through a range of skills, with a strong emphasis on speaking and writing in the target language. They also get the opportunity to unpick the main grammar introduced with the unit.
The programme of study that has been created is designed so that every activity, text and topic that the students experience allows them to process and produce each item of vocabulary, structure or grammar point many times over in order for it to become embedded in their knowledge.
Students study French in years 7, 8 and 9. At the end of year 8, students are given the option to switch from studying French to Spanish in year 9, in preparation for GCSE. Studying Spanish will not prevent students from studying French at GCSE level and instead will give them the option to study either language or both at Key Stage 4.
The topics that are covered during Year 9 in French are specially selected from the GCSE syllabus to act as a bridging point between KS3 and KS4 allowing a smooth and less daunting transition between Key Stages
The topics selected during Year 9 Spanish are selected to give students a solid foundation in the language to enable them to be successful at GCSE level.
Year 7
AUTUMN TERM – Basics, Self and Family
Communicative functions –
Describing and identifying people, including oneself
Creating questions
- Bonjour! – Introducing myself
- Quel âge as-tu? Quelle est la date de ton anniversaire? – saying how old I am and when my birthday is
- Décris ta famille – describing who is in your family, their names, ages and birthdays
- Tu est comment? – describing appearance and personality of self and others
- Joyeux Noel! Exploring Christmas traditions in the French speaking world
SPRING TERM – School
Communicative functions –
Describing and identifying people including oneself
Describing routine behaviour
Comparing and contrasting
Describing places
Expressing opinions
- Tu aimes quelles matières? – talking about school subjects, giving opinions
- Qu’est ce que tu as le lundi? – talking about school timetable, telling the time
- Décris ta routine quotidienne – talking about daily routine, present tense
- Décris ton college – describing school and comparing it with primary school (past tense)
- Tu aimes tes professeurs? Giving opinions on teachers
- Mon uniforme scolaire – describing school uniform, giving opinions and comparing it with primary school uniform
SUMMER TERM – Où j’habite
Communicative functions –
Describing places
Expressing opinions
Comparing and contrasting
Creating questions
Describing routine behaviour in the present
Describing routine behaviour in the past
- Oú j’habite – describing where I live
- Qu’est ce que tu fais le week-end? – talking about what you do at the weekend, present tense
- Tu aimes ta ville? – giving opinions on your town and region
- Oú est le centre sportif – asking for and giving directions, transactional language
- Qu’est ce que tu as fait le week-end dernier en ville? – describing what you did last weekend in town, past tense
Year 8
AUTUMN TERM – Free time and Hobbies
Communicative functions –
Expressing opinions
Describing and identifying people
Comparing and contrasting
Describing routine behaviour in the present tense
Creating questions
Making plans for the future
- Mes passetemps – talking about hobbies, likes and dislikes
- Qu’est ce que tu fais le weekend? Talking about what you do at the weekend, present tense
- Mes amis – describing your relationships with friends
- Qu’est ce que tu vas faire le weekend prochain – what are you going to do next weekend? Future tense
SPRING TERM – Sport and Healthy Lifestyle
Communicative functions –
Expressing opinions
Comparing and contrasting
Describing routine behaviour in the present tense
Describing events in the past
- Tu aimes le sport? – Giving opinions on sport, present tense
- Qu’est ce que tu aimes manger? – Giving opinions on food and drink, making comparisons, present tense
- Qu’est ce qu’on doit faire pour ameliorer la santé – describing what you have to do or should do to have a healthier lifestyle, future and conditional tense
- Qu’est ce que tu as fait le week-end dernier? – talking about last weekend, past tense
SUMMER TERM – Media and Technology
Communicative functions –
Expressing opinions
Comparing and contrasting
Describing routine behaviour in the present tense
Describing and identifying people
Describing events in the past
- Tu préfères Snapchat ou Facebook? Giving more complex opinions, present tense
- Tu aimes la musique? Giving opinions and comparing different genres of music
- Mon artiste préféré – my favourite band/singer, describing appearance, personality, opinions
- Qu’est ce que tu aimes regarder? – giving opinions and describing TV shows, characters and genres.
- Film 2022 – using more than one tense to create a film review
Year 9 French
AUTUMN TERM – Friends, Family and Relationships
Communicative functions –
Describing and identifying people
Expressing opinions
Describing past events
Making plans for the future
- Tu t’entends bien avec ta famille? – describing relationships with family members, using reflexive verbs
- Qu’est ce que tu fais le weekend? – describing a typical weekend, present tense
- Qu’est ce que tu vas faire le week-end prochain? – describing plans for next weekend, future tense
- Le Samedi soir dernier – last Saturday night, past tense
SPRING TERM – School, future plans and career
Communicative functions –
Expressing opinions
Describing routine behaviour in the present
Making plans for the future
Solving problems
Indicating agreement and disagreement
- Tu aimes le français? – giving more complex opinions on school subjects.
- Pourquoi devrait-on apprendre les langues? – exploring the importance of studying languages and the opportunities they present
- Le reglement scolaire – talking about school rules, expressing agreement and disagreement
- Mon avenir – plans for the future, future and conditional tenses
- Qu’est ce que tu voudrais faire comme travail? – talking about careers and ambitions, future tense, conditional tense
SUMMER TERM – Holidays
Communicative functions –
Describing places
Expressing opinions
Comparing and contrasting
Creating questions
Describing routine behaviour in the present
Describing events in the past
Making plans for the future
- Oú vas tu en vacances normalement? – present tense, using infinitive structures to enhance my work
- Tu est allé oú en vacances l’année dernière? – describing last year’s holiday, using perfect and imperfect tenses.
- Comment on célèbre le quatorze juillet? – Exploring Bastille Day traditions in France and comparing them to British festivals
- Les vacances l’année prochaine – discussing next year’s holiday, future and conditional tenses
- En vacances – transactional language, booking a hotel room, making a complaint, shopping
Year 9 Spanish
AUTUMN TERM – Me, my family and friends
Communicative functions:
Describing and identifying people, including oneself
Describing routine events in the present tense
Creating questions
- Hola me presento – greeting other people and introducing myself
- Describe tu familia – describing family using the third person
- Cómo es tu familia? – describing appearance and personality in the 1st and third person, adjective agreement, using the verbs ser and tener
- Te llevas bien con tu familia? – describing relationships with family members, using reflexive verbs
- Qué te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre? – giving opinions on hobbies, using the present tense
SPRING TERM – School and future plans
Communicative functions:
Expressing opinions
Describing routine behaviour in the present
Making plans for the future
Solving problems
Indicating agreement and disagreement
- ¿Cuál es tu asignatura favorita? – giving increasingly more complex opinions on school subjects, using more than one tense
- ¿Por qué se debe aprender las idiomas? exploring the importance of studying languages and the opportunities they present
- Describe tu rutina diaria – discussing my daily routine, using the present tense and reflexive verbs
- ¿Qué vas a hacer en el futuro – discussing plans for the future, applying the future tense
SUMMER TERM – Holidays
Communicative functions:
Describing places
Expressing opinions
Comparing and contrasting
Creating questions
Describing routine behaviour in the present
Describing events in the past
Making plans for the future
- ¿Adónde vas de vacaciones – describing holidays in the present tense, adding more complexity to our sentences.
- ¿Adónde fuiste de vacaciones el año pasado? – describing what I did on a past holiday, using the preterite tense
- ¿Adónde vas a ir de vacaciones el año proxímo? – talking about future holidays using more than one tense.
- La Tomatina – Exploring traditions surrounding the Tomatina festival and comparing them to British festivals
AQA GCSE French and Spanish
(Themes, Topics)
Theme 1 -Identity and culture
Me, my family and friends
- Relationships with family and friends
Free-time activities
- Music
- Cinema and TV
- Food and eating out
- Sport
Customs and festivals in French-speaking countries/ communities
Me, my family and friends
- Marriage/ partnership
Technology in everyday life
- Social media
- Mobile technology
Theme 2 -Local, national, international and global areas of interest
Home, town, neighbourhood and region Social issues
- Healthy/ unhealthy living
Travel and tourism
Global issues
- The environment
Social issues
Charity/ voluntary work
Poverty/ homelessness
Theme 3 -Current and future study and employment
My studies
Life at school/ college
Education post-16
Career choices and ambitions
Key Stage Three
Students will receive regular vocabulary homework which will be assessed in class. Students will be assessed formally as part of the school assessment windows:
Assessment 1 – Writing
Assessment 2 – Reading and Listening
Assessment 3 – Speaking
Assessments at KS3 will follow the same format and mark schemes as GCSE assessments as much as possible to enable students to familiarise with the assessment demands at KS4 and allow a smooth transition between key stages.
Key Stage Four
Regular vocabulary learning is encouraged, and all vocabulary lists are available online and from school. Vocabulary testing will involve translation of phrases from and to the target language.
Pupils will be assessed formally as part of the school’s timetabled assessment windows. Assessments will be set following the AQA exam style questions or past papers.
To enhance students’ experience of language learning and foster a life love love of languages, within the French department we seek to offer various enrichment opportunities to students. Such opportunities include homework clubs, a whole school European Day of Languages event and Spanish Club in addition to other trips and activities.
A variety of jobs require you to be able to communicate in one or more languages. The obvious examples are the jobs of translator and interpreter, but there are many more. Some jobs need you to be completely fluent while, for others, it’s enough to be able to hold a basic conversation. Entry requirements vary from GCSEs to postgraduate qualifications.
Some of the main career opportunities that require language skills are described below:
- Linguists
- Interpreters and translators
- Teachers
Using Languages
As tourists, and even in business, we often rely on people from other countries communicating with us in English. However, developing our foreign language skills can benefit us as individuals, as well as helping the UK conduct trade with the rest of the world.
Here are some ideas of jobs offering opportunities for using languages. They certainly aren’t the only ones.
- Public sector
- Librarianship and information science
- Travel and tourism
- Hospitality and catering
- Media
- Law, insurance, accountancy etc
- Industry and commerce
Working hard at studying a language you develop your communication skills in general, and, if you have spent time studying abroad, you will also have gained independence, flexibility and organisational skills – all qualities that employers value.
With good language skills, you can widen your search for work across Europe. As a UK citizen you have the right to work in any of the member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) and many qualifications gained in the UK are recognised by European employers. For example, qualifications in accountancy, engineering, teaching, nursing, construction trades and so on, are likely to be recognised.
Many UK companies have commercial links with Europe and beyond, and many multinational firms have bases in Britain. So, as the workplace becomes more global, more people can expect to travel abroad as part of their job and the ability to speak another language would be most advantageous.
People who can communicate in languages such as Russian, Japanese, Mandarin and Arabic are needed as well as European languages.
Languages skills often enhance other skills such as secretarial, administrative or customer services, or professional and technical skills such as marketing, journalism or engineering. There are many areas of work in which languages can be a real asset.
