French is taught in Year 6, following the popular Clic coursebook where pupils not only learn to speak and understand French at a basic level but also discover interesting facts about France and French-speaking countries in the world and start to develop strategies for language learning in general.

French is our core modern language at this stage as, alongside English, it can claim to be truly global, being spoken on all five continents and in addition is the official language of NATO, the UN and the European Court of Justice, amongst others. We follow the brand new course Dynamo in addition to a wide variety of extra resources and four periods are allocated to the teaching of French each week. Examples of the topics covered are school, people’s characters, health and weather, and all teaching seeks to include an introduction to France and French culture in general. At this stage pupils are taught in forms and two homeworks are allocated per week, one of which is normally learning and the other one written.

In order to encourage informed decision making for Year 8 language options, taster lessons in German and Spanish are also taught.

French remains the core language in Year 8, following the course Dynamo 2, and covering areas such as clothes, transport and jobs. Pupils are taught in sets and have three lessons per week. Pupils start a second language, either Spanish or German, following the courses Viva 1 and Stimmt 1.

Pupils have the opportunity to continue with either French, German or Spanish. Most study two languages until the end of Year 9.  Pupils are taught in sets and have three lessons per week. Given that pupils already have a firm grounding in French, teaching here starts gradually working towards GCSE, working with the coursebook AQA GCSE Studio, whereas  in German progress onto the course  with Stimmt 2, and likewise in Spanish with Viva 2. 

Pupils may choose as their core Modern Foreign Language French, German or Spanish, depending on which language option was chosen for Year 9, and, if desired, a second language. All three languages use the AQA examination board which, from 2016, is a linear qualification where all pupils sit their examinations at the end of the course. The wide-ranging themes covered are identity and culture, local, national, international  and global areas of interest, and current and future study and employment, and we follow the AQA specific coursebooks Studio, Stimmt and Viva. Pupils who have excelled in languages may also be offered the opportunity to learn Italian ab initio, following the coursebook Amici and taking iGCSE after two years.

We offer French, German and Spanish in the Sixth Form. Not only do the courses improve and extend knowledge of the language but students also examine and develop their knowledge of the contemporary culture and society of the country, as well as its literature, film, technology and history. A level study is currently in a transition period whereby the first examinations of the new two year linear course will be taken in 2018. Whether French, German or Spanish is chosen, the new AQA specification follows a similar pattern across the units, the core content comprising social issues and trends, political and artistic culture and grammar. There are also options to choose within target language literary texts and films. Assessment is linear and consists of three units. Additionally, pupils undertake an independent research project on an area of their choice.

Italian is offered to talented linguists in Year 10 to study ab initio for two years, sitting the iGCSE examination in Year 11.

Sixth form languages students are involved in mentoring younger pupils, offering extra help to any pupil needing further support with their language learning in French, German or Spanish at any level.

All of Year 9 are encouraged to participate in the trips offered by the MFL department towards the end of the Trinity term. Five-day residential trips to Spain, France and Germany are offered.

Pupils in Year 10 have the opportunity to participate in the German, French, or Spanish exchange programmes,   bringing the language learning to life for our pupils and fostering strong international relations and lifelong friendships.

In the Sixth Form, pupils are encouraged to participate in joint trips with the History department to Toledo,  the Art trip to Berlin, or extend their German by undertaking bespoke work experience in Germany, all of which vastly enrich their experience and understanding.

European Day of Languages is always celebrated with gusto in September, starting the school year with all sorts of language tasters, games and competitions.

Pupils of all year groups are encouraged to participate in conferences at local universities and schools: for example, Year 9 pupils have visited Warwick University for a Languages Day and Sixth Formers have attended masterclasses in all three languages at Aston University and an AS/2 conference at Loughborough Grammar.

Year 7 pupils have enjoyed success locally and nationally in the Routes into Languages National Spelling Bee in French too, proudly winning the national championship in 2018. Likewise, Year 8 pupils take their prowess a step further with the National Translation Bee and have celebrated success here too. 

Sixth form students recently visited the Cervantes Institute Theatre in London to watch La Casa de Bernarda Alba as part of their A Level course.