MFL Teachers

Vision of Subject

Our vision in the Modern Foreign Languages department at Kirkby High School is for all language learners to develop the skills and confidence to become ‘World Citizens’, belonging to a multicultural and mutually respectful world. We aim to support students to understand other countries and cultures so that they can be more open and adaptable to new experiences.   Ultimately, we want our students to have a love of languages, and aim to achieve this by encouraging a linguistic curiosity and a motivation to explore and respect other cultures and people. We will attempt to inspire all students through collaboration, support and the modelling of good practice.

Statement of Intent

The MFL curriculum at Kirkby High School enables students, regardless of their starting ability, to discover more about a foreign language, developing their desire and ability to communicate with and understand speakers of Spanish and French in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes. The study of a modern foreign language broadens horizons, develops cultural knowledge and understanding and fosters transferable skills such as communication, problem solving and creativity. It builds up confidence and self-esteem, removing barriers to enable a wealth of opportunity.

Our aim is to encourage students to have a desire for learning a foreign language as an opening to other cultures and opportunities, such as travel, further education and employment prospects. Our curriculum allows students to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond, both in speech and in writing. It provides opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read texts and literature in the original language. Our intention is to build the foundations for learning further languages, equipping students to study beyond school and work in other countries.

KS3

Students are taught Spanish in KS3 in sets. Year 7 receive 1 hour of Spanish per week and years 8 and 9 receive two hours of Spanish. Students at KS3 are set weekly homework on Class Charts.  This is often in the form of learning key words and grammatical concepts from a knowledge organiser. Assessments are completed at the end of each term for the current topic and feedback issued.  Significant pieces of work, completed in books, is marked regularly throughout each half-term.  Feedback is given and as well as opportunities for students to improve their work.

KS4

At Key Stage 4 French and Spanish are taught as a GCSE option subject and are counted towards the English Baccalaureate. Students that opt to take French or Spanish in Key Stage 4 have 3 hours a week and are working towards one GCSE qualification. They follow the AQA GCSE exam board. They will be awarded a grade 1-9 following their GCSE examinations in the summer of Year 11. Assessments, to track progress, are set regularly throughout each half term.  Feedback is given based on GCSE exam criteria to highlight areas of strength and development throughout the course.

Throughout their time at Kirkby High School, students are taught the following key skills:

Listening:  To understand and respond to different types of spoken language.

Speaking:  To communicate and interact in speech.

Reading:  To understand and respond to different types of written language.

Writing:  To communicate in writing.

Overview of the MFL Curriculum

The topics students cover throughout Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are outlined in the link below:

Curriculum Overview MFL

Links to GCSE Exam Board Specifications

The specification code for GCSE French is 8658

www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/French-8658

The specification code for GCSE Spanish is 8698

www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/spanish-8698

Additional Information

Extra-curricular activities which take place throughout the academic year include:

Interventions – these take place during lunchtimes and after school according to the intervention timetable put together at the start of each academic year for pupils in year 11.

Revision sessions – these are put on during school holidays.

Homework – this is set weekly for each year group in both French and Spanish.  Pupils are encouraged to seek teacher support if they have difficulty in completing the tasks before deadlines set.