MFL

Modern Foreign Languages

Bienvenue! / Willkommen!

The Modern Foreign Languages Curriculum area is situated on the second floor and enjoys its own ICT room. There are seven teachers, most of whom teach both French and German. The team enjoys a high level of experience and expertise and our students achieve excellent examination results at GCSE and Advanced and Advanced Subsidiary level.

Both languages are offered in the sixth form (Key Stage 5) and the team is currently enjoying a high level of participation.

In order to best cater for all student needs, we offer both modular and linear courses. the team is currently engaged in working with our partner primaries and for the first time this year some staff will be teaching Year 5 and 6 pupils; providing expertise in methodology and subject content in the primary schools. This is an area which we intend to expand and the team is also considering the introduction of Spanish.

The MFL team is totally committed to providing a first class language experience for all students and run a variety of visits to France and Germany. Every year over 150 students in Year 8 visit Bayeux in France or the Rhine Valley in Germany. In Year 10 this year, a group of students visited Le Touquet, conducting interviews in French and transcribing answers. A visit to Paris is a much enjoyed tradition and this year all students completed a cross curricular "rich task" involving the History and English Teams. Students visited World War 1 cemeteries, studied English and French war poetry and were inspired to write their own poems.

Those studying German looked at differences and similarities in the history of the two countries and in present day life, while also engaging in a variety of linguistic tasks, from deciphering information and acting on it and conducting interviews, to working in teams to produce a diary of their observations and impressions. Students visited, amongst other things, the Roman town of Trier, a medieval castle and enjoyed Europe's longest rollercoaster!

In the Sixth Form all students have the opportunity to complete a week's Work Experience. This year French students were based in Lille and German students in Aachen.

The aim of the MFL team is to provide an enriching experience of learning so that students will be inspired to develop a love of language and an appreciation of European cultures.