About Modern Foreign Languages:
The MFL department consists of three fulltime linguists. We teach four foreign languages: French, German, Spanish and Italian. All pupils are set into ability groups from year 7 onwards, as we test their language skills on arrival at the school.
We aim to make the learning of languages an enjoyable experience, and emphasise communicative competence, active learning and language awareness. There is a language laboratory with engaging and useful software. Classes have the opportunity of using ICT and language clubs have been set up. Visits to France, Germany and Spain are organised from time to time in order to give the pupils practical experience there. We also organize visits to the Europa Centre and we have worked with the British Airways Language Training organisations, to offer as many opportunities as possible for pupils to practice their language skills. All the teachers are MFL trained and fluent in the languages they teach.
We strive to:
- Improve whole school performance by developing all students’ linguistics skills.
- Extend and vary the language provision for all students at KS3 and KS4.
- Provide the Richmond Community and our family of schools with a centre of excellence in the teaching of MFL with the aim of raising standards of Teaching and Learning in the wider community.
- Develop and nurture the students’ natural linguistic, social and creative skills to enable them to integrate effectively in a growing and dynamic economy.
- Ensure that staffing and continuous professional development reflects the school’s growing ethos and needs.
- Provide students with opportunities to acquire valuable international experience.
Key Stage 3:
All pupils study Spanish in Year 7 and French in Years 8 and 9, along with either Spanish or German, depending on ability.
Key Stage 4:
We strongly encourage all students to continue with their study of at least one language in Years 10 and 11. Some pupils wish to study two languages to GCSE level, and the department actively supports this. We have express groups starting in Year 7, and it is our aim that those students take GCSE at the end of Year 9. We work with the AQA Specification A GCSE Syllabus, which gives equal weighting to all four components of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. We follow the Coursework option, in which pupils produce three pieces of coursework over the two year course.
Teachers:
Mr. J M Rougeon - MFL Subject Leader
Ms. V Pilot - Teacher of MFL
Ms. A Alvares Blanco - Teacher of MFL
Revision:
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/french
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/german
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/spanish
GCSE Resources:
