Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) is a very important aspect of all our pupils curriculum, and will ultimately figure in the range of Ebacc subjects students will take in Upper School.

All pupils learn French throughout their time in the school. In years 5 and 6 they have one hour per week and in year 7 and 8 this increases to 3 hours per fortnight of French, plus two hours of Spanish.

French

In Year 5, pupils learn to introduce themselves and ask and give personal details e.g. name, age etc. They learn numbers up to 30, the French alphabet, descriptions of people, the months and the seasons, building on work already covered in Lower School. The emphasis is on speaking and listening, but reading and writing are important too.

In year 6, pupils learn to talk about school, clothes, hobbies, family, what they have for breakfast, festivals and celebrations, how to tell the time in French, and to give opinions and reasons. Although the emphasis is still on speaking and listening, pupils start to write independently.

In Year 7, topics include: describing where you live, free time activities and going out, ordering food and drink at a café, making arrangements to go out, planning a visit to Paris, festivals, buying food at a market, TV programmes, digital technology, going to the cinema, describing the weather, places in town, household chores, and daily routine.  Communication in the classroom continues to develop, and grammar is explored more deeply, including the introduction of the future and past tenses.

In year 8, topics include: food and drink, shopping, talking about everyday activities, pocket money, travel, and past holidays. The emphasis is on extending vocabulary and using two or more tenses, and creating extended, complex sentences.

Second Language

Pupils begin a second language in year 7, and have 2 hours per cycle of Spanish. This continues into year 8.

We cover topics such as introducing yourself, numbers, months, Spanish speaking countries, the alphabet, school equipment, classroom vocabulary, school subjects, and days of the week. We learn how to describe people, talk about where we live, express opinions and give reasons, and describe daily routines. Grammar is introduced progressively and builds sequentially each term.