In Year 7, students will embark upon the study of one language, either French or Spanish, and will have the opportunity to continue with this language through to year 13.
During their time in the language classroom, students will gain a deeper understanding of the way that language is structured in order to form accurate sentences and communicate with fluency and confidence. This is a supported process where students become more independent and creative in their use of language as they progress. This is facilitated through a range of everyday topics and themes such as Family and Relationships, Technology and Holidays but also tackles global and social issues where we explore the type of citizen that we are. Not only do students develop effective skills and techniques across reading, writing and listening, but they also practise their conversational skills should they want to eat out at a restaurant, complain about the poor service in a hotel or to ask their way around Barcelona. Lessons are varied and students practise a range of skills throughout each lesson, from grammar points to listening activities to speaking tasks to translation and written questions. Where appropriate, we use as much original material as possible; from the latest songs to cultural anthems to clips from Spanish news and sports’ interviews to authentic texts from Spanish literature, newspapers and magazines.
During their first years of study, students of Spanish have the opportunity to visit Spain with the Academy. This highly popular cultural visit aims to ‘put into practice’ the skills learnt within the classroom and students are encouraged to speak in the target language throughout the visit. This is a real opportunity to bring the subject to life for our learners.
In the latter years of study, we offer Modern Foreign Languages students the opportunity to participate in a film day where they watch a current Spanish film and further enrich their skills by discussing their opinions and points of view with others in Spanish. This provides another insight into the culture of the country.