Modern Foreign Languages

"Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom"

Heads of Department:  Mrs L Manikon and Ms T Arecco
Twitter:  @GumleyMFL

The MFL Curriculum at Gumley House enables students, regardless of their starting ability, to discover more about a foreign language, developing their desire and ability to communicate with and understand speakers of the assessed language in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes.

The study of a modern foreign language will broaden horizons, develop cultural knowledge and understanding and foster transferable skills such as confidence, communication, problem solving and creativity.  For information about the different Languages, click the link below:

Accolades 

FRENCH Gumley House offers the prestigious Diplome D'Etudes en Langue Française (DELF) qualifications to all our students from A1 to B2 level, alongside their studies of GCSE and A Level.  Gumley House is an official DELF hosting exam centre with on site qualified examiners. Students therefore receive two qualifications which includes this official proficiency test in French from the French Institute.  These internationally recognised qualifications will increase students' chances of employment.  Visit 'Institut Francais' for more information or about the exams.

CHINESE Gumley House also holds Confucius Classroom status (one of only 39 schools across the country) which is granted by the Institute of Education that have Chinese firmly embedded in their curriculum and able to give advice, support and taster classes to other schools in their region that are looking to start offering Chinese. The Confucius Classroom Curriculum Models for Introducing/Developing Secondary Mandarin document explores the different ways to introduce and develop Chinese on the school curriculum. Students who study Chinese in Year 9 also enter the scholarly international HSK exams.

Watch our Chinese students introduce our school 

Overall Curriculum Aims

Reading and Writing:  Students learn to:

• deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts
• develop awareness and understanding of the culture and identity of the countries and communities where the language is spoken
• be encouraged to make appropriate links to other areas of the curriculum to enable bilingual and deeper learning, where the language may become a medium for constructing and applying knowledge
• develop language learning skills both for immediate use and to prepare them for further language study and use in school, higher education or in employment
• develop language strategies, including repair strategies
• acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to a rich range of authentic written material, adapted and abridged, as appropriate, including literary texts
• use structure and grammatical features ambitiously to give their writing cohesion and coherence
• convey precise meaning using the target language appropriately, • use grammar correctly, punctuate and spell accurately,
• acquire and apply a wide academic and subject specific vocabulary, alongside a knowledge and understanding of grammatical terminology in their own language and the target language.
  
  

Speaking and Listening:  Students are encouraged to:

• develop their ability to communicate confidently and coherently with native speakers in speech, conveying what they want to say with increasing accuracy
• express and develop thoughts and ideas spontaneously and fluently
• listen to and understand clearly articulated, standard speech at near normal speed
• deepen their knowledge about how language works and enrich their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts
• acquire new knowledge, skills and ways of thinking through the ability to understand and respond to a rich range of authentic spoken material, adapted and abridged, as appropriate.
• respond perceptively to questions and feedback,

A key intent is to encourage students to have a thirst for learning a foreign language as it is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.  Our high-quality languages education fosters students’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world.  The teaching enables students to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing.  It constantly endeavour to provide opportunities for students to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping students to study and work in other countries. 

How can parents help?

•  Encourage your child to learn vocabulary little and often and ensure they are completing their learning homework
•  Encourage your child to watch age appropriate television programmes in the language they are studying.  YouTube can be a great resource for this.
•  Encourage your child to use mobile phone apps / websites to practise vocabulary (for example Linguascope and Duolingo).

Languages in Years 10 and 11

Exam Board: AQA
At GCSE, we currently offer Spanish, French, Italian and Chinese (with an additional optional offer of Latin). 

What will I learn on this course?
You will be assessed in the four skills of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. You will be expected to cope with a greater degree of unpredictability, deal with a widening range of potential problems, understand and use more accurately a widening range of vocabulary and structures, including some unfamiliar language, understand issues and opinions, discuss issues and give opinions, give full descriptions and accounts.
 

What is the importance of studying MFL at GCSE?
Join the global community!  Believe it or not, the majority of the world does not speak English. New thoughts and ideas that are happening in the world are not immediately translated. Don’t get left behind! The world is getting smaller and we have the opportunity to come into contact with more non-English speakers all the time. By doing well in your MFL GCSE you will gain an advantage for yourself in work and on holiday by being able to communicate with people in their language.

Knowledge of a foreign language is something many employers and higher education providers look for. You will learn many skills which are useful in a wide range of careers, such as the ability to communicate clearly, being confident about speaking in public and using problem solving strategies, which all relate to greater opportunities to work abroad, or for companies in the UK with international links. Many employers look for people with language skills.

What are the requirements when completing the exams?
You will be assessed in 4 skills: Listening, Reading, Speaking and Writing. Each skill has a final exam which you will take in Year 11, however you will have milestone assessments every half term to check that you are on track with your progress in each of the 4 skills.

Listening and Reading exams are very similar to what you have done previously with multiple choice questions, true or false and translation.

The writing and speaking  exams require your linguistic flair as you will be ask to write or talk about various topics in different formats. Each of the format you have already practised several times in class with your teachers.

What are the aims of the course?
You will be able to understand and communicate in both the written and the spoken language. The content is largely topic based, and aims to foster a deeper understanding and awareness of Italy, France, Spain or China. As the course offers enjoyment, intellectual stimulation and a real sense of achievement it is hoped that many students will want to continue to study a language at A level, or use their GCSE qualification as a basis for work, leisure or some other form of further study.
 

How will I be assessed on the course?
The GCSE exam is designed to cater for a wide range of ability. The four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing are weighted as follows:  Listening , Reading, writing and speaking exams: 25% each skill.  The exam can be entered at Foundation or higher tier.

What resources are available to use?
All year 9, 10 and 11 language students are taught in dedicated classrooms with audio, video & Interactive Whiteboard facilities. In addition they make use of portable laptops and our dedicated Languages computer suite.

We also have Foreign Language Assistants for French, Spanish and Italian who work with students in small groups for oral work and to promote a better understanding of their country.

We use online resources but also interactive resources, films, music and various media platforms to make the learning more vibrant. Booster sessions with our language assistants are also available weekly.

What extracurricular activities will be available?
We have a bi-annual trip to Italy.  This will be open to all students studying GCSE and A Level Italian.  The aim of the trip is to be both linguistically and culturally beneficial to the students’ studies.

The Spanish department have formed a link with Zubarán High School in Badajoz in Extremadura and runs bi-annually as an exchange.

The French and Italian departments organise a Key Stage 4 study trip to France and Italy in the Summer term.

The trip to China will next take place annually and will be open to students studying GCSE and KS5 Mandarin.

There is a weekly revision and homework club which is run by the Foreign Language Assistants and the A Level students. You will be encouraged to attend to help you with speaking, grammar and writing skills.
 

What is required of me when completing the course?
You must bring your exercise book, text book and a dictionary to lessons. Also a pen, glue stick and highlighter. All sheets that are handed out in lessons should be stuck into your book as directed by your teacher. You should record all assessment grades in the front of your book on your MFL Assessment sheet. You must complete all homework and Controlled Assessment on time. You must copy up any Classwork missed through absence.

For French and Spanish you will have access to the digital book and resources on the AQA Kerboodle website.

Italian and Chinese follow the GCSE textbook which you will need to bring each lesson. 

All lessons are followed by complimentary support and extension on Google Classroom. We expect you to use the online platform to complete your home learning.
 

You’ll enjoy this course if…
…..you enjoy communicating with other people, finding out how language works and learning about different countries and cultures. You will be able to share your interests, ideas and opinions with other people who speak the language, learn about countries where the language is spoken and add an international dimension to your choice of GCSE subjects. We develop your skills as a linguist and beyond the classroom more importantly we want you to enjoy speaking the language and use it in a real life context!

Achieving the Grade 8/9
In order to ensure you achieve the top grade we have targeted revision classes for Grade 8/9 students, a weekly language club run by the Assistants and a wide range of support and extension materials including audio files, reading materials and useful website links.  

Languages at A Level

 For more information on the content of the languages offered at Key Stage 5, please visit our Sixth Form Course Guide. 

Where can A Modern Foreign Language take me?

Languages are a facilitating subject, which develop a transferable and highly appealing skill set, such as strong communication, resilience, presentation and listening skills. Languages can open doors to a whole host of exciting opportunities for further study, travel and careers. Many of our A Level students have gone on to study a Language at University alongside Business, Geography, Film Studies and English.  Careers include: Business and Management, Journalism, Teaching, Psychology, Medicine, Linguistics, Computer Science, Law, Speech Therapy, Travel and Tourism, working for charities.