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Modern Languages
'One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.' - Frank Smith
The MFL department’s intent is to build and nurture a curiosity and love of foreign languages and to provide an opening to other cultures.
Language is communication. It reflects the culture, history, values and beliefs of people and allows us to explore others and ourselves and to see the inter-relationship between people. We endeavour to enable all of our pupils to foster, sustain and maintain relationships between people, particularly of different cultures and backgrounds and we hope to broaden all of our pupils’ horizons with experiences to help them grow beyond their immediate surroundings.
French is studied from First Form and can be continued through to GCSE and A level. Spanish is available as a new subject in Third Form as part of the GCSE options and pupils can continue studying Spanish in Sixth Form at A level. Exam results are excellent year on year and students often leave the school to study languages at university.
Teaching Staff
Ms F Cherry (Head of MFL)
Ms C Rayment (Deputy Head of MFL)
Ms N Fernandez (Teacher of French)
Mr F Zanrè (Associate Deputy Head, Teacher of Spanish & French)
Key Stage Three
French is taken by all pupils in the First and Second Forms. Pupils will choose whether to continue with a foreign language at the end of their second year at the school.
In the First Form we aim to consolidate any knowledge of French acquired in primary schools and seek to develop the boys’ ability to speak, understand spoken and written French and to write accurately. We endeavour to promote the ability to communicate spontaneously and fluently within the topics studied. Their areas of experience will include learning the language of the classroom, clothes and colours, family and physical description, free time activities and weather and places in town. Their learning will be underpinned by the following grammatical structures: gender of nouns, definite and indefinite articles, agreement of adjectives, possessive adjectives, prepositions, the present tense, some common irregular verbs, high frequency verbs, modal verbs and time indicators.
In the Second Form they will continue to develop their language skills in the following topic areas: describing people’s characteristics, countries, towns and transport, daily routine and time and food. We build on what is learnt in First Form, further promoting effective communication. The following grammar is incorporated in our lessons: more irregular verbs in the present tense, the near future tense, reflexive verbs in the present and near future tenses, connectives and more high-frequency words, more work on prepositions, learning to give and justify opinions, the perfect tense of regular, irregular and reflexive verbs, using time indicators and using the negative with all tenses.
The overarching work of the department at Key Stage 3 is to develop confidence in the boys’ ability to learn a new language by laying solid foundations. We aim to focus on strategies such as modelling, awareness-raising, receptive processing, and structured production. This leads to expansion, autonomy, routinisation, and spontaneity in their work. We learn phonics in French, embed retrieval practice, highlight both the similarities and differences in each language and the pupils are also taught to cope with new vocabulary, work out meanings of unfamiliar language and to understand the sequence of words in French.
GCSE
The GCSE course for those starting GCSE French or Spanish in September 2024 is broken down as follows, following the AQA specification (it is the same for both subjects):
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Listening (paper 1) 25% |
Speaking (paper 2) 25% |
Reading (paper 3) 25% |
Writing (paper 4) 25% |
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LISTENING |
Foundation tier (35 mins) 40 marks |
Higher tier (45 mins) 50 marks |
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Section A |
Listening comprehension questions in English / & non-verbal (32 marks) |
Listening comprehension questions in English / & non-verbal (40 marks) |
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Section B |
Dictation of sentences (8 marks) |
Dictation of sentences (10 marks) |
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SPEAKING
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Foundation tier (15 mins prep) 50 marks |
Higher tier (15 mins prep) 50 marks |
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Part 1: Role-Play (10 marks) |
1 - 1.5 mins |
1 - 1.5 mins |
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Part 2: Reading aloud & short unprepared conversation (15 marks – as a whole) |
2 - 2.5 mins 35 words to read aloud + 4 unprepared questions |
3 - 3.5 mins 50 words to read aloud + 4 unprepared questions |
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Part 3: Photo card task Description of 2 photos + unprepared conversation (25 marks) |
4 - 5 mins in total (c.1 min for description of the 2 photos and 3-4 mins for unprepared conversation) |
6 -7 mins in total (c.1.5 mins for description of the 2 photos and 4.5 - 5.5 mins for unprepared conversation) |
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7-9 mins total |
10-12 mins total |
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READING |
Foundation tier (45 mins) 50 marks |
Higher tier (1 hr) 50 marks |
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Section A |
Reading comprehension questions in English / & non-verbal (40 marks). |
Reading comprehension questions in English / & non-verbal (40 marks). |
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Section B |
Translation from French/Spanish to English max. 35 words (10 marks). |
Translation from French/Spanish to English max. 50 words (10 marks). |
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WRITING
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Foundation tier (1hr10) 50 marks |
Higher tier (1hr15) 50 marks |
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Question 1 |
5 short sentences in response to a photo (10 marks). |
Translation of sentences from English to French/Spanish. Min. 50 words (10 marks). |
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Question 2 |
Short piece of writing in response to 5 compulsory bullet points. c.50 words (10 marks). |
Piece of writing in response to 3 compulsory bullet points. C 90 words (15 marks). Choice of two questions. |
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Question 3 |
5 short grammar tasks (5 marks). |
Piece of writing in response to 2 bullet points. c.150 words (25 marks). Choice of 2 questions |
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Question 4 |
Translation of sentences English to French/Spanish. Min. 35 words (10 marks) |
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Question 5 |
(Overlap Question) piece of writing in response to 3 compulsory bullet points. c.90 words (15 marks). Choice of 2 questions. |
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More information and the specification can be found here:
AQA | French | GCSE | GCSE French
AQA | Spanish | GCSE | GCSE Spanish
Sixth Form French
FRENCH (AQA)
You may have an interest in language itself; you may have a love of France, its culture and its beautiful language; you may wish to pursue a career involving the use of French or travel in France and other Francophone countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and many African countries – whatever the interest, proficiency in French is increasingly important and valuable in Europe, particularly post-Brexit. If you want to be successful in an increasingly globalised world, you will need to be able to communicate in another language. With a decline in those taking languages past GCSE level, set yourself apart from the rest and study French!
Core content:
- Aspects of French-speaking society: current trends (the changing nature of family, the ‘cyber-society’, the place of voluntary work);
- Artistic culture in the French-speaking world (A culture proud of its heritage, contemporary francophone music, cinema: the 7th art form);
- Aspects of French-speaking society: current issues (positive features of a diverse society, life for the marginalised, how criminals are treated);
- Aspects of political life in the French-speaking world (teenagers, the right to vote and political commitment, demonstrations, strikes – who holds the power? Politics and immigration);
- Grammar;
- Works: literary texts and films (for example: Molière – Le Tartuffe, La Haine – Mathieu Kassovitz, Candide – Voltaire, No et moi – Delphine de Vigan).
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Paper 1: Listening, reading & writing |
Paper 2: Writing |
Paper 3: Speaking |
A commitment to reading around the topics studied, taking an interest in Francophone news and culture and doing extra work outside of the classroom is compulsory in this subject.
More information and the specification can be found here:
AQA | French | A-Level | A-level French
Sixth Form Spanish
Spanish is a world language. It is the world’s second most spoken language after Chinese and English. The inhabitants of nearly all of the Central and Latin American countries, as well as those of mainland Spain, speak Spanish. Recent reports of the language needs of British industry reveal the pressing need for personnel with foreign language skills, Spanish being a major focus. Thus, as well as offering a substantial advantage for a career in business or pleasure, Spanish will provide the Sixth Former with an insight into the richness of the cultures of Spain and Latin America. If you want to be successful in an increasingly globalised world, you will need to be able to communicate in another language. With a decline in those taking languages past GCSE level, set yourself apart from the rest and study Spanish!
Core content:
- Aspects of Hispanic society: Social issues and trends in Hispanic society (modern & traditional values, cyberspace, equal rights);
- Artistic culture in the Hispanic world (modern day idols, Spanish regional identity, cultural heritage);
- Aspects of political life in the Hispanic world (today’s youth, tomorrow’s citizens, monarchies and dictatorships, popular movements);
- Multiculturalism in Hispanic society (immigration, racism, integration);
- Grammar;
- Works: literary texts and films (for example: La casa de Bernarda Alba, Federico García Lorca , El laberinto del fauno, Guillermo del Toro).
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Paper 1: Listening, reading & writing |
Paper 2: Writing |
Paper 3: Speaking |
A commitment to reading around the topics studied, taking an interest in Hispanic news and culture and doing extra work outside of the classroom is compulsory in this subject.
More information and the specification can be found here:
AQA | Spanish | A-Level | A-level Spanish
Extra-Curricular
Within school, we celebrate the European Day of Languages in September with a French breakfast for 1st Form as well as other activities across the school such as film showings and other competitions. We also do languages-themed activities days at the end of the academic year which included seeing Les Misérables in the West End in the summer of 2024. We also have a weekly lunchtime languages lab and a Spanish club for lower school pupils where pupils get to practise the language in a more informal setting using computers or learn more about French and Spanish culture.
We continue to build up our offer of a range of trips in both French and Spanish. In 2024, Lower School French pupils had the opportunity to go to Boulogne for the day to experience some French culture and our Sixth Form French pupils went to Paris on a joint French and history trip. Upper Sixth Spanish pupils attended a workshop at the BFI on Federico García Lorca where they learnt more about the play they study at A level as well as the man himself. There is a trip to Valencia in the pipeline for 3rd and 4th Form Spanish pupils and a potential French exchange to Paris for boys in 2nd Form.
Career paths & Beyond the Classroom
University courses:
Spanish and French can be studied on their own or together or with another subject (often a Joint Honours degree). The combination of subjects available varies depending on the university but possible options are:
French/Spanish and another language at beginners’ level (e.g. Mandarin or Arabic)
French/Spanish and English
French/Spanish and Classics
French/Spanish and History
French/Spanish and Latin
French/Spanish and Linguistics
French/Spanish and Philosophy
French/Spanish and Law
French/Spanish with Business and Management
French/Spanish and Politics
French/Spanish and Mathematics
French/Spanish and Economics
French/Spanish and Biology
French/Spanish and Film Studies
Future career paths:
Some modern language graduates work on a self-employed basis as interpreters or translators. However, many others choose careers not directly related to their subject but where there is the opportunity to use their language skills, for example working for companies who trade or offer services internationally or to non-English speaking customers and suppliers. This means that language graduates work for a huge variety of employers and sectors. Some examples are:
- government and public administration (e.g. diplomatic services, working in the foreign office)
- business services (e.g. interpreter, translator)
- tourism (e.g. hospitality)
- law (e.g. solicitor)
- retail (e.g. logistics and distribution manager, buyer)
- media and internet (e.g. broadcast journalist, marketing executive)