Head of Department:

Mr J Murphy

Teachers:

Mrs A Champley-Potter, Ms K Eagle, Miss T Hay, Miss M Millon, Mrs J Moore, Miss K Weightman and Mrs P Zahner (teacher of classics)

Languages in England are taught through topics, with grammar developed through different vocabulary areas. Below is a very simple outline of students' progression.

Key Stage 3: Years 7, 8, 9

• At this level the main focus is on giving all pupils a good foundation in basic vocabulary areas.
• Grammar is practised through practical examples using the vocabulary of the current topic.
• By the end of year 9, pupils will be familiar with examples of the past, present and future tenses.

Year 7 French main language (and year 8 second language)

• Greetings
  
• Numbers 1-100
  
• School subjects and classroom
  
• Family
  
• Pets
  
• Where I live (My house, my room)
  
• Time
  
• My town

Year 8 French main language (and year 9 second language)

• Family and home
  
• Freetime (weekend, TV. Going out)
  
• Trips
  
• Invitations, acceptances and refusals
  
• Clothes,
  
• Shopping
  
• Eating and drinking (meals, restaurant, market)
  
• Travel and holidays

Year 9 French main language

• Media (TV, cinema, print media, ICT)
  
• Daily routine
  
• Future and future plans
  
• Careers
  
• Illness, describing injuries
  
• Healthy living
  
• Understanding advice
  
• Talking about what you used to do
  
• Crime story
  
• Regions of France and travel
  
• Hotel booking

Year 7 German main language (and year 8 second language)

• Greetings
  
• Numbers 1-100
  
• Alphabet
  
• School subjects, breaktime snacks and classroom
  
• Time
  
• Clothes
  
• Family
  
• Pets
  
• Freetime activities
  
• Where I live (my house, my room)

Year 8 German main language (and year 9 second language)

• Shops and food
  
• Restaurant and picnic
  
• Pocket money
  
• Holidays
  
• After school activities (cinema, TV, texting)
  
• Health (body, illness, doctor’s visit)
  
• Healthy eating

Year 9 German main language

• Media (ICT, TV, cinema, print media)
  
• School, future plans
  
• Future, future plans and careers
  
• What’s important to me
  
• The global world
  
• Age limits and rules
  
• Celebrities

Students may also choose to study Latin after school. Entry level Latin is offered on a Monday, and level 1 Latin on a Tuesday (click on a link for further information).

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Key Stage 4: Years 10 & 11

Latin: student who opt for Latin will study level 1 in Year 10, followed by level 2 Latin and level 2 Latin Literature in Year 11. Click on a link for further information.

French and German

• At this level the main focus is on preparing students for the GCSE exams.
• Vocabulary and structures from KS3 are revised and developed.

Students follow AQA: GCSE French Specification | GCSE German Specification

Speaking and writing are each worth 30% of the final grade. They are tested by assessments throughout the course. Listening and reading are each worth 20% of the final grade, and are tested in final exams in May/June of Year 11.

There are 4 major topic areas:

Lifestyle

Health

• Healthy and unhealthy lifestyles and their consequences

Relationships and Choices

• Relationships with family and friends
  
• Future plans regarding: marriage/partnership
• Social issues and equality

Leisure

Free Time and the Media

• Free time activities
  
• Shopping, money, fashion and trends
  
• Advantages and disadvantages of new technology

Holidays

• Plans, preferences, experiences
  
• What to see and getting around

Home and Environment

Home and Local Area

• Special occasions celebrated in the home
  
• Home, town, neighbourhood and region, where it is and what it is like

Environment

• Current problems facing the planet
  Being environmentally friendly within the home and local area

Work and Education

School/College and Future Plans

• What school/college is like
  
• Pressures and problems

Current and Future Jobs

• Looking for and getting a job
  
• Advantages and disadvantages of different jobs

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Post 16: Years 12 & 13

• At this level the focus is on preparing pupils for the AS exam, taken in May of Year 12, and the A2 exam, taken in June of Year 13.
• Topic specific vocabulary is introduced and practised with increasing use of synonyms and paraphrasing. Grammar is taught more explicitly.
• Pupils need to have factual knowledge, relating mainly to events of the last 7 years in the country/ countries they are studying; they are expected to be able to analyse information and react to it with personal opinions, drawing on their wider knowledge.
• All 4 skills are tested and equal weighting given to each.

A Level French Specifications | A Level German Specifications

AS topics

Aspects of daily life sub-topics

• The family: different structures and relationships; living conditions (housing, shopping and patterns of daily life)
  
• Food, drink, health, obsessions and addictions
• Transport: trends and patterns in usage (for the individual and at local and national levels).

Leisure and entertainment sub-topics

• Sport (including national sporting concerns and traditions)
  
• Tourism and related themes: tourism as a changing phenomenon; tourism and the environment
  
• Leisure activities: aspects of cultural life, e.g. film, theatre; the arts as part of leisure time.

Communication and media sub-topics

• Communication technology: patterns and changes to communication in daily life
  
• Media, e.g. written press; radio; television (roles and influences).

Education and training sub-topics

• School and school life: individual experiences; local and national concerns
  
• Work and training: individual experiences; school to work preparation, transition and aspirations.

A2 topics

Society sub-topics

• Integration and exclusion: age; gender; race; religion; equality of opportunity
• Law and order: trends of crime and punishment; civil unrest; policing
• Unemployment: causes and consequences (local, national or global)

The environment sub-topics

• The individual and the environment: recycling; reducing individual energy usage and impact; local conservation
• Energy management: alternative energy sources; changing use of fossil fuels'; nuclear energy; changing energy demands
• Pollution: causes; consequences; solutions
• Conservation of the natural world: changing habitats; impact of man and pollution; local, national or global initiatives

Science and technology: impact and issues sub-topics

• Medical progress: development and change – impacts on health care, lifestyles, ethics and beliefs
• Scientific advances: change and innovation – impacts and issues on society, knowledge, education
• Technological developments: change and development – impacts on lifestyles, habits, work and education

Culture sub-topics

• Literature and the arts: trends, changes, influences and impacts on the individual and society
• Heritage and history: influence and impacts of heritage (including colonial heritage) and historical events (national and international) on contemporary society