Modern Foreign Languages

Vision:

At Felixstowe School our ambition is for all students to have the opportunity to learn a language in both KS3 and KS4 with a vision to expand this into our sixth form. The purpose of language study at Felixstowe is to ensure that our teaching is enabling students to communicate their thoughts in both French and Spanish, as well as growing the confidence of our young people to respond to native speakers and enhance their cultural enrichment, learning more about the world around them. Opportunities are provided for students to communicate for practical purposes, develop their thinking and improve literacy and oracy skills. Our curriculum promotes an appreciation for different cultures and fosters a curiosity for the wider world. We aim to equip students with the necessary skills to allow them to study additional languages, to travel, work or live abroad. 

The team:

We are fortunate to have a fully staffed MFL team, specialising in a range of languages including French, Spanish and German.

Miss L. Cunningham – Head of Department (lcunningham@fxs.org.uk)

Mrs H. Frid – Lead Practitioner (hfrid@fxs.org.uk)

Miss C Torlotin – Teacher of MFL (ctorlotin@fxs.org.uk)

Miss S Bajwa – Teacher of MFL (sbajwa@fxs.org.uk)

Mrs G. Stronach – Deputy Head Teacher and Teacher of MFL (gstronach@fxs.org.uk)

Structure from 2024/2025 academic year:

In order to bridge the learning gap from primary to secondary, in year 7 and 8, students will be learning French. This enables students to develop their KS2 knowledge and to become more coherent in their language ability, as well as developing their communication skills and cultural understanding of the Francophone world. Students will cover topics such as describing themselves and their family members, describing their house, town and neighbourhood, talking about their free-time and talking about holidays.

In the final term of year 8, students will be given the opportunity to do some Spanish taster lessons, teaching the basic communication and grammar skills so that students will be able to introduce themselves in the language. At the end of year 8, students will be able to choose which of the two languages they want to continue in year 9, which will then be factored into their timetables.

In year 9, students will have a full year learning their chosen language, and continue to develop their previously learned knowledge. They will cover topics such as family relationships, the world of work, and town and environment, in preparation for sequencing modules at GCSE. At the end of year 9, students can then choose to continue their preferred language at GCSE, which is a requirement for students wishing to complete the English Baccalaureate (EBACC).

The 2024/2025 cohort of year 10 will be the first to prepare for the brand-new GCSE. The exam board we use in KS4 is currently AQA, following an adapted version of the exam board curriculum.

Homework expectations:

Please see attached the homework policies for KS3 and KS4. Students will be expected to learn vocabulary weekly which will aid them in accessing lessons and continue to develop their language competence and confidence outside of and between lessons. Additional grammar and comprehension tasks will be given throughout the year which will provide students’ with additional practice to develop students’ understanding of core content taught in lesson. All homework will be set on go4schools by classroom teachers.

Extra-Curricular:

We are currently in discussion regarding the extra-curricular classes we will be running for the 2024/2025 academic year and will post details in due course.

We are also currently in the process of arranging a GCSE trip to Spain, whereby details will go to parents in the Autumn Term of 2024/2025.

For any further information, please contact the Head of Department, Miss Cunningham at lcunningham@fxs.org.uk.