What is our curriculum intent?

Our intent is to open all students’ minds to the multicultural world in which we live. We aim to develop students' knowledge and understanding of the language and culture of the French, German and Spanish speaking worlds which will in turn prepare them to live and work in an increasingly international environment.

A high quality MFL curriculum opens doors for our students and helps them to flourish in life, learning and work. We believe that all students can learn and progress in a language. We therefore aim for all our students to gain at least substantial knowledge of the language they have chosen to study, supporting effective learning through appropriate scaffolding.

Our curriculum helps to build students’ cultural capital by incorporating key cultural aspects of the French, German and Spanish speaking worlds, including, but not limited to history, geography, the arts and customs. The ultimate aim of learning modern foreign languages is for students eventually to be able to use higher level thinking skills in order to think critically and debate a range of global issues from various perspectives, including political, historical and cultural matters.

Through the teaching of language skills, we also aim to develop young people of character who feel confident to communicate in a variety of situations.

Each of the AQA GCSE Modern Foreign Language courses that we offer - French, German and Spanish – is designed to build on the knowledge and skills that you acquired at Key Stage 3 in order to increase your ability to understand and communicate in a wider context. These GCSEs will prepare you for further language study whether academic, business or leisure-orientated. They also broaden your view of the world and other cultures. 

Why learn a language?

All members of the MFL team are passionate linguists who believe in the importance of language learning. But why should young people feel the same way and choose to continue learning a language?

  1. Languages are a life skill: Knowledge of a foreign language is not just another GCSE grade; it is a concrete and demonstrable life skill that is highly valued by employers.
  2. Languages teach you cultural awareness: The ability to operate cross-culturally is becoming just as valued by employers as straight language skills.
  3. Languages give you a sense of achievement: Learning a language combines the intellectual with the practical as no other subject does. You need to be able to think on your feet, but when you can find exactly the right foreign word or phrase, you get a real sense of achievement.
  4. Languages are a social skill: Languages are very sociable. If you enjoy being with people and communicating with them, then  you’ll enjoy being able to do this in a foreign language too.
  5. Languages give you the edge in the job market: Today there is a global market for jobs. The multitude of skills you develop through learning a language, such as communication skills, make you an asset to any potential employer. Employers understand that potential employees with language qualifications have risen to a challenge, and it can really set you above  other applicants. 
  6. Learning languages gives you greater opportunities to travel and work abroad: There are many opportunities to travel or work with organisations abroad where some knowledge of a foreign language is a clear advantage. Many people with language GCSE or A Level qualifications take on work placements abroad or study abroad for one year as part of their further study courses. 
  7. Languages can be combined with virtually any subject for further study: The range of combined degrees and further education courses involving a language is limitless. Many people choose to combine a language with economics, business, politics, law, journalism, science and many more. Learning one of the three languages we offer in school also makes it easier for you to pick up other languages later on and many students go on to learn languages such as Italian, Mandarin, Russian and Japanese at a  later stage. 

How do we implement our curriculum?

The outline below references German, but both French and Spanish will be studied and assessed in exactly the same way:

This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams at the end of the course.

Subject content

Core content

Students study all of the following themes on which the assessments are based.

  • Theme 1: Identity and Culture
  • Theme 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest
  • Theme 3: Current and future study and employment

How do we measure the impact of the course?

GCSE languages have a Foundation Tier (grades 1–5) and a Higher Tier (grades 4–9). Students must take all four question papers at the same tier. All question papers must be taken in the same series. The outline below is for German, but is the same across all languages.

Paper 1: Listening

Paper 2: Speaking

Paper 3: Reading

Paper 4: Writing

What we teach when

Year 10

Year 11

How can students be supported through learning at home?

Students will be set regular independent tasks to help them to develop and build confidence in the main skills of reading, listening, writing and speaking and to practise grammar. Students will regularly learn vocabulary to broaden their knowledge of the language throughout the course, to enable them to confidently tackle more challenging texts and listening exercises. Students will have online access to Kerboodle  (an online learning resource, which enables them to access the text book from home, along with additional reading and listening activities to cement their knowledge). In addition, students will be able to refer back to material from the lesson and make use of additional support through our Firefly resources. 

What extra opportunities to learn are available?

At Wilmslow High School,  we do our best to offer students the chance to visit the target language country in Year 10. This opportunity provides students with the invaluable platform to broaden their cultural and linguistic knowledge by experiencing it and practising first-hand. Students will interact with young people from the country and potentially forge lifelong friendships. Taking part in such trips can be a formative experience for young people, who not only practise their language skills, but also grow in confidence and maturity in the process.

How are students grouped?

Students are grouped according to option pool. Support sessions are also planned to provide extra help where necessary, including (but not limited to) lunchtime support clubs, after school intervention/ revision, and additional speaking practice .

What websites do we recommend?

The new examination board specifications can be found at:

Students looking to consolidate, enrich or extend their knowledge and understanding might start at:

Contact

Mr B Hollis: bhollis@wilmslowhigh.com

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart."

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela

“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.”

Flora Lewis

Flora Lewis