Modern Languages

"The ability to speak more than one language is critical to succeed in business in Europe, Asia/Pacific and Latin America."

"It will be more important than today for executives to be at least bilingual."

"Although English remains the dominant language of international business, multilingual executives clearly have a competitive advantage. This will only increase with the continued globalization of commerce and the growing power and presence of emerging nations."

Korn/Ferry International. (Recruiting company)

Thanks to new technology and improved travel and communications, the world has become a much smaller place. In the Modern Languages Department we feel that it is crucial that we all learn to speak and understand each other. Potential Oxford / Cambridge applicants are required to have a good MFL grade at GCSE. Employers often require candidates with language learning skills and a qualification in a language places our pupils in a strong position for interesting employment with plenty of career opportunities. Examples of employment where language skill are particularly valued include journalism and the media, law, engineering, business and marketing, ICT, travel and tourism, customer service, Civil Service and teaching in the UK and abroad.

Pupils will be taught using a variety of methods in order to maximise success in all five language skills; speaking, listening, reading, translation and writing. Equal emphasis is placed on the five skills and pupils are encouraged to express themselves independently in the language so that they gain confidence early on and achieve the fluency, independence and sophistication vital for success. We use a variety of language learning websites, the school’s IT equipment, whenever possible, and the internet and streaming services are obviously a great source of material for linguists to develop their listening and understanding outside of school.

Upon entering the school, all pupils in Year 7 learn French, German or Spanish and are timetabled for three 1 hour MFL lessons per week. From Y9, pupils continue to study their chosen language up to GCSE. The Board used by the Department is AQA.

In the 6th Form pupils may carry on studying their language choice at A-level, currently French or German, where we also use the AQA Board. Pupils will study the language, literature and culture of the respective country in greater depth and must supplement their class-work with private reading, listening and research work, which can be accessed online or borrowed from the Department.

Foreign trips and penfriend links are actively encouraged by the Department. We have an active penpal scheme with a school in North-Germany as well as in southern France and Spain, which is very popular. It is an important aspect of the MFL Department that we support ALL foreign languages, as they offer the same learning skills and are equally valued.

 Staff List