Modern Foreign Languages
Curriculum Intent
At Sunbury Manor our vision for all learners of MFL is that they gain a greater understanding of the world including tolerance, curiosity and celebration of other cultures, not just those from the target language countries. This links with the wider school ethos of nurturing well rounded individuals.
We aim to equip our students with confidence and desire to explore the target language and to be able to communicate with millions of people globally. Speaking another language other than one’s own is useful, both for leisure and business reasons, whilst also enhancing and building on many skills that are transferable across other school subjects. In particular, it is well known that learning a second language not only supports English development but also improves listening and presentation skills, among others. In addition, students who succeed in MFL are more employable and have better chances of gaining entry to university.
Students at Sunbury Manor study French (recently re-introduced in Yr7) and Spanish. At KS3, French and Spanish are rotated and taught, three times a week, in Yr7. Currently, Yrs 8 and 9 study Spanish only, and this is taught twice a week in both years. Similarly, Spanish is the only language currently being taught at KS4; five times per fortnight in Yr10 and three times a week in Yr11. In lessons we use a variety of games, IT resources and interactive projects, authentic material from the target language countries and cultural experiences. These bring our lessons to life and make the learning of the four key skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) fun, engaging and accessible. Learning a foreign language requires a combination of phonics, vocabulary and grammar. We introduce and progressively build on these throughout the students’ learning journey and through relevant topic areas such as identity, leisure, food, fashion, the environment, school, holidays and future careers. At key stage 4 we develop this further and examine themes in more depth, delving deeper into topical issues such as our planet, social problems and issues that affect young people.
When students discover that they can communicate in another language outside the classroom, they go from strength to strength and are motivated to learn more. This is why we strive to provide as many real life and enrichment opportunities as possible to put what they have learnt into practice. This includes experiences such as vlogging style tasks, food tasting and university days among others. When we are able to we bring the target language to the students and in this guise have hosted Spanish students for 3 weeks in the autumn term, giving the Sunbury Manor community the chance to not only practise their language but to forge long-lasting international friendships. The highlight of the year is our residential trip to Spain, most recently to a water sports activity centre, where the students are fully immersed in a completely Spanish environment.
In the department we are fortunate to have four large, modern classrooms all equipped with the latest smart screen technology and well-qualified, enthusiastic and dedicated MFL specialists who go the extra mile for the students, every day.
Curriculum Overview
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| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 | Spring 1 | Spring 2 | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
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Y7 French
| Intro to the Francophone world Greetings, phonics and general introduction + personal details Classroom lang + Routines *Phonics- French sounds introduced and reinforced throughout teaching from hereon. | Likes and Dislikes Physical description (height/ size) Personality traits
| Family, Pets Colour + other adjectives | Free time activities Expressing opinions and giving reasons | House and home My bedroom | Summary of learning for the academic year (Retrieval practice) End of year assessments |
| Yr7 Spanish | Intro to the Hispanic world Greetings, phonics and general introduction + personal details Classroom lang + Routines *Phonics- Spanish sounds | Family Pets Colour | Countries + Nationalities | House and home
| My bedroom | Summary of learning for the academic year (Retrieval practice) End of year assessments |
| Y8 French/ Spanish
| Review of learning from Yr7 My town – what there is/ isn’t What one can(not) do | Problems in a town Solutions | Food Main meals Courses Time (rvw) Future tense | Festivals- Day of the Dead Food shopping Future tense | Clothes and fashion | Summary of learning for the academic year with a focus on Grammar (verbs + adjectival agreements + tenses) Present and near-future tenses End of year assessments |
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Y9 Spanish
| School + part-time jobs | Future - Jobs and aspirations (leading up to Yr9 options) | Sports and pastimes | TV and film preferences | Holidays | Diet/ Keeping fit
End-of-year assessments |
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Y10 Spanish
| Identity and culture Imperfect tense
| Free time preferences Conditional tense Future tense (one-word - version) | Holidays (preferences/ past/ future) Holiday transactions | Home and local area Problems in a town | School and future studies | Exam skills (techniques+ strategies) and Oral preparation end-of-year assessments |
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Y11 Spanish
| Environment Global issues Subjunctive | Jobs Work experience Perfect Revision | Holidays Pluperfect Travel and tourism | Future intentions | Revision |
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Key Stage 4 Specification
| Subject Leader: | Mrs M Lorde |
| Contact: | mlorde@sunburymanor.surrey.sch.uk |
| Exam Specification: | Edexcel GCSE Spanish 1SP0 |
| QN Code: | 601/8710/4 |
| Summary of course content You will cover a variety of topic areas including your life, home and local environment, school life and the world of work, youth culture, free time and holidays. You will also be given the opportunity to improve your written and spoken communication skills as well as deepening your understanding of the Spanish culture and language. Lessons will include the opportunity to listen to contemporary Spanish language, music, undergo web research and use ICT to create multimedia presentations. | |
| Assessment There are four exams taken at the end of the course – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing - for which students can be entered at either Higher or Foundation level depending on the results of their practice assessments prior to the summer exams. The length of the exams (at Higher level) are:-
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| What type of activities take place in lessons? Lessons will involve activities designed to allow students to practice all four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, whether working as a class, by themselves or in groups. Use will also be made of the interactive whiteboard, videos, various computer programmes and internet in order to introduce and consolidate vocabulary and grammar points. Additionally, the students will have allocated time to work with the Spanish assistant (where available) to improve speaking skills, as well as taking part in oral presentations and role plays, in class. Time will also be devoted to exam paper practice in order to hone students’ exam technique and assess whether students are still on track to make expected progress. In addition, there will be time given to learn and practice the new technique of translation and there will be an emphasis on spontaneous speech (rather than scripted) in all speaking tasks. Students will require use of a dictionary for reading and listening exercises at home and a computer, where possible, to access other digital resources. Textbooks will be provided. | |
| What type of homework tasks will be set? Students will be expected to complete both ‘learning’ and ‘producing’ type of home work. Often, they will be expected to learn words and consolidate their work from class. On other occasions they will be asked to put together the ideas, phrases and grammar from recent lesson in an extended text. | |
| How will it help me in the future? Learning a foreign language is becoming an increasingly sought- after skill. You do not need to be fluent in a language in order for it to help you in your career, so even if you do not continue after GCSE, you will be recognised (and paid!) accordingly. Learning a foreign language encompasses a whole range of skills which are essential for your future. Linguists learn how to communicate effectively both in their writing and speaking. You also train to listen for key details and to read using different techniques such as skim reading, reading for detail and reading for inference. All of these skills make you more employable and show a potential employer you have broad horizons. In the shorter term, languages are seen as a strong academic subject to study and are well thought of by colleges and universities. Showing that you have studied languages can give a wider choice of courses that are open to you. | |
| How will this course build on what I have studied in Year 9? You will come across some familiar topic areas but the depth in which you cover them and the way in which you are taught will be very different. There will be an emphasis on using authentic materials such as TV programmes, songs and films to help you understand that learning Spanish is not just about learning a language but also about exploring a culture. | |