Curriculum

Modern Foreign Languages

The Modern Foreign Language programmes we offer develop pupils’ cultural awareness, teach them the fundamentals of communicating effectively in a foreign language, and equip them with the skills they need to progress to a global marketplace. They promote a healthy attitude of tolerance and understanding and help pupils to see beyond the microcosms of their own communities, providing an insight into the similarities and differences between contrasting cultures, along with the traditions that help to inform them.

Pupils will learn how to convey vital information about themselves, their families and their lives, and will also master essential phrases, such as how to ask for directions, order food, and organise social engagements. Pronunciation and grammar will be key components of the course, ensuring pupils are able to communicate through both spoken and written mediums.

Pupils will also learn a variety of valuable transferrable skills whilst undertaking a MFL, such as communication, problem-solving, creativity, ICT, literacy, numeracy and performance skills.

The academy currently offers Arabic and French at KS3 and KS4.

Arabic Curriculum Overview – Key Stage 3
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9

Introductions

  • Joining letters of Arabic alphabet
  • Likes & dislikes
  • Greetings & introductions
  • Age: Numbers to 31
  • My family
  • Birthdays and date: months of the year; days of week
  • Where I live; names of Arab countries.

In class

  • Classroom rubric
  • What’s in a classroom
  • School stationery
  • Colours
  • School subjects
  • Opinions and preferences
  • School routine
  • Time on/past/to 12-hour clock
  • Dates: days of the week

My free time

  • Household chores
  • Daily routine
  • Weather
  • Seasons of the year
  • Sports, games, pastimes
  • Preferences and reasons

My family

  • Common pet animals and animals in the Arab world
  • Complex numbers to 100
  • More family members
  • Descriptions of people
  • Where I live
  • Rooms in a house
  • Meals, foods & drinks

My city

  • The city of Cairo
  • Places in a town/village
  • Arrangements to go out
  • Modes of transport
  • Future plans
  • Plans for a special weekend
  • Eid celebrations

Sports

  • Opinions about sports & free time
  • Past hobbies with family
  • Your family
  • Parts of the body
  • Wellbeing: Diet
  • Common injuries & illness
  • Descriptions: Arab athletes

Entertainment

  • TV programmes
  • Film genres
  • Movie review- past tense Book reviews
  • Descriptions: celebrities
  • Plans for a future cinema visit

Celebrations

  • Festivals & celebrations
  • Significant dates in the Arab world
  • Common Arab dishes
  • Prices, quantities and transactional language
  • Shopping for an occasion

Indeed it’s a small world

  • Continents
  • Opinion, preferences & reasons on where I live /used to live
  • Home region
  • Directions & finding the way

Long live the holidays

  • Weather forecast
  • Transport
  • Past holiday experiences
  • Country & capital names
  • Opinions & reasons
  • Tourist attractions
  • Holiday activities
  • Future holiday intentions

Cultural & daily life

  • Reading & literature
  • Musical preferences
  • Sports & hobbies
  • Film & television
  • Social media & technology (pros & cons)
  • Religious Arab/ non-Arab festivals
  • Familial celebrations

School

  • Daily routine at school
  • School subjects: preferences
  • Different types of schools
  • School rules (for & against)
  • Clothes & school uniform
  • School trips
  • Future study plans

 

Arabic Curriculum Overview – Key Stage 4
Year 10 Year 11

Holidays

  • Holiday preferences
  • Past experiences & future holidays
  • Holiday destinations
  • Accommodation choices & reviews
  • Dealing with problems & disasters
  • Asking for help

Local area

  • Weather
  • Places to visit in my area
  • Facilities in my area
  • Things for young people
  • Community projects

Work

  • Past work experience
  • Career types & preferences
  • Job adverts
  • Job applications
  • Part time & temporary work
  • Future work ambitions

Environmental Issues

  • Problems in our world
  • Effects of pollution
  • Being green
  • Protecting the environment

Identity – Who am I?

  • When I was younger
  • Role models
  • Familial & friend relationships
  • Descriptions: Personality & appearance.
  • Qualities of a good friend
  • Socialising with friends & family

School

  • Exam pressures
  • School events
  • School exchanges
  • Celebrating success in the future

Work

  • Daily routine at work
  • Forming professional relationships
  • Work training
  • Learning languages for work

Bringing the world together

  • Sustainable fashion
  • Campaigns & good causes
  • Large scale events (festivals, sports tournaments)

 

 

French Curriculum Overview – Key Stage 3
Year 7 Year 8 Year 9

La rentrée

  • Greetings & introductions
  • French sounds/alphabet
  • Numbers to 31
  • Family: Brothers/sisters
  • What’s in a classroom
  • Likes and dislikes
  • My appearance
  • Free time activities
  • Dates: months; birthdays

En classe

  • Colours
  • Telling the time (12h)
  • Numbers in tens to 100
  • Opinions, preferences and reasons
  • School subjects – likes and dislikes
  • School uniform
  • School routines: UK/ francophone schools
  • Christmas in France

Mon temps libre

  • Weather; seasons
  • Sports, games, hobbies
  • Free time preferences
  • Online activities
  • Francophone countries
  • Sports in francophone world

Ma vie de famille

  • Countries in Europe
  • Animals: Pets
  • Complex numbers to 100
  • Family members
  • Descriptions of people
  • Where you live
  • House and home
  • Breakfast foods & drinks

 En ville

  • The city of Paris
  • Places in a town or village
  • Prices in euros
  • Arrangements to go out
  • Drinks/snacks in a café
  • Activities in the near future
  • Plans for a special weekend using two tenses together
  • Bastille Day

Vive les vacances!

  • Date, weather, seasons
  • School holidays: UK/abroad
  • Past holiday experiences
  • Country names
  • Modes of transport
  • Opinions & reasons
  • Tourist attractions
  • Future holiday plans

J’adore les fêtes !

  • Festivals & celebrations
  • Significant dates in France
  • Fruits & vegetables
  • Transactional language
  • Common French dishes
  • Prices
  • Simple quantities

À loisir

  • TV programmes
  • Film genres
  • Descriptions: celebrities
  • Digital technology
  • Leisure activities
  • Plans for a cinema visit
  • Time: 24 hour clock

Le monde est petit

  • Continents
  • World climate
  • Francophone countries & cities
  • Where I live (R)/used to live
  • Home region
  • Daily routine
  • Household chores

Qui suis-je?

  • Family and descriptions of people
  • Places in town
  • Family relationships
  • Best friends
  • Making arrangements to go out
  • A past night out with friends
  • Talking about when you were younger
  • Describing role model

Le temps des loisirs

  • Musical preferences
  • Musical instruments
  • A trip to a concert
  • Favourite songs, singers, groups
  • Biography of a favourite actor
  • Film and book reviews
  • Combining tenses

Le sport en direct

  • Opinions about hobbies
  • Directions & finding the way
  • Parts of the body
  • Common injuries and illness
  • Francophone athletes
  • Transactional language

Bon appétit!

  • Bon appétit
  • Food and drink preferences
  • School meals in UK and abroad
  • Vegetarianism and veganism: for and against
  • Healthy eating

Projets d’avenir

  • What you want to do when you get older and why
  • Talking about what you will/are going to do in the future
  • What things will be like in the future
  • Earning money
  • Different ways of making money

 

 

French Curriculum Overview – Key Stage 4
Year 10 Year 11

Home town, neighbourhood and region

  • My home
  • Where I live
  • Weather
  • Finding the way
  • What to see and do in my town/ region
  • Cities & regions in France
  • Local/community projects

Travel and tourism

  • Current, past, future holidays
  • Travel & transport
  • Accommodation choice and reviews
  • Restaurant meals & reviews
  • Souvenirs and local markets
  • Holiday disasters

Life at school, studies, education post-16

  • School subjects
  • School timetable
  • Clothes and school uniforms
  • UK schools/ schools in French-speaking countries: comparisons
  • Liberté, égalité, fraternité
  • School rules (for and against)
  • School exchange trips

Jobs, career choices and ambitions

  • Education after Year 11
  • Job preferences & career choices
  • Part time jobs
  • Job adverts & Job applications
  • Gap year activities
  • Future plans, hopes and ambitions
  • Marriage & relationships

Global and social issues

  • Healthy/Unhealthy lifestyle choices
  • Problems facing the world
  • Protecting the environment
  • Ethical shopping
  • Charity and volunteering
  • Large scale events (festivals, sports tournaments)
  • Presenting balanced arguments

Me, my family and my friends

  • Descriptions: personality and appearance
  • Qualities of a good friend
  • Family relationships
  • Places in town
  • Time expressions
  • Social arrangements
  • Myself as a child
  • Role models
  • Combining 3+ verb tenses

Free time activities and technology in everyday life

  • Sports & hobbies
  • Musical preferences
  • Films & TV
  • Francophone musicians/actors
  • Digital technology
  • Books & reading
  • Combining 3+ verb tenses

Customs and festivals

  • Food, drink & meals
  • Number to 100; prices
  • Quantities
  • Food for special occasions
  • Shopping for clothing
  • Expressions of size
  • Dates & French calendar
  • World festivals & traditions
  • Past and future family celebrations

 

Assessment

Internal assessments take place every term.

KS4 Exam Board Specification (Arabic): EdExcel GCSE Arabic (1AA0)
KS4 Exam Board Specification (French): AQA GCSE French (8658)

Enrichment Offer

The Department offers a range of enrichment clubs, leads overseas educational visits and runs regular competitions. Intervention sessions to consolidate prior learning and ensure maximum progress are at the heart of our delivery model.

Careers

There are a range of career opportunities for pupils if they study modern foreign language to a higher level. The majority of employers prefer to recruit people with languages skills. Having a good GCSE or A Level grade in a foreign language and any degree will enable pupils to work for an international company anywhere around the world. This can then lead to careers in fields such as interpreting, teaching, languages and community services. Universities and employers value strong language qualifications.

Useful Resources and Revision Support