At Philip Morant School and College, we encourage students to strive to be the best that they can be and to feel that they belong to a vibrant and diverse community. There is a wide range of different languages and cultures that are represented within the student body and teaching staff and we, as a Modern Foreign Languages department, actively promote these different experiences, cultures and ways of life. Due to this, we foster a tolerant and welcoming environment for all students and staff, regardless of language ability and nationality.
We believe that there is a responsibility for teaching languages in order to help develop students’ understanding of the world around them and to build them into truly interconnected and global citizens. We achieve this by exposing students to a variety of cultures within the French and Spanish speaking world – beyond France and Spain themselves – which aids students to see different experiences that they would not ordinarily be aware of. This ability to see the world differently provides cognitive benefits such as improving memory and problem solving.
At Philip Morant School and College, we aspire to expose our students to an ambitious Modern Foreign Languages curriculum with coherently planned and sequenced lessons, adapted and designed for all pupils. It is rich in skills and knowledge, develops curiosity and promotes diversity and tolerance of other cultures.
Students start in Year 7 with either French or Spanish and work through to Year 11 with that language gaining systematic knowledge of key vocabulary and structures, grammar and phonics of the language. Our curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to use language skills receptively and productively, for communication in the real world, for practical purposes and for their immediate needs and interests.
The Modern Foreign Languages curriculum allows students to maximise their attainment by providing opportunities to master the four skill areas of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking to ensure they are fully prepared for the demands of the GCSE course. We develop these skills alongside the core content which has been identified which covers vocabulary, grammar and phonics. In Year 7 and 8, students develop a good grounding in core language concepts whilst exploring the vocabulary of key themes. Those themes are revisited through our Year 9 ‘bridging’ year between KS3 and KS4 and then through the study of the 9 compulsory modules at GCSE.
As a department, we promote cultural connections, inspire curiosity about the wider world and provide real life opportunities to experience these through trips to France and Spain for GCSE students. These opportunities allow students to understand the people who speak these languages and to feel like a part of their history.
