Aims & Ethos

We want foreign language learning to be enjoyable, stimulating and relevant for all students, and we want them to become more aware of the inter-cultural aspects of the country, its language and people. We are not merely teaching words and phrases to be used in exams; we are aiming to take the language beyond the classroom to broaden their experiences. We try to accommodate different learning styles using a variety of teaching strategies.

In lessons we will encourage students to:

• become confident in the four skill areas – listening, reading, speaking and writing;
• learn from one another;
• listen carefully;
• be investigative and analytical;
• be independent learners in and out of the MFL classroom;
• be creative thinkers;
• be reflective and resourceful;
• develop their interpersonal and collaborative skills;
• participate actively;
• help create a positive atmosphere in the classroom;
• move around the room at appropriate times.

We are also aiming to forge stronger links with other curriculum areas in order for students to see the relevance of languages in other contexts, e.g. students will learn in Maths about the euro and its conversion rate. Elsewhere links will be formed with Art and Music as well as the more obvious areas of History and Geography.