Welcome to MFL

Curriculum area intent & rationale/department introduction

The Modern Foreign Language (MFL) Department is at the heart of our school community. All students take a language at GCSE level, we also offer post-GCSE qualifications, including A Levels, in French, German, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Our curriculum is designed to develop the four key skills in MFL: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. Our lessons are engaging, varied and students have every opportunity to practise and develop their language skills in a nurturing and positive learning environment. At KS3, the students are fortunate to have a generous number of MFL lessons which enables them to make rapid and sustained progress and, this in turn gives them an excellent foundation for their GCSE and possible A Level studies.

Aims and values of the department

Our main goal is for pupils to achieve fluency and self-confidence in 2nd language learning. We foster our pupils’ love and enthusiasm for languages thanks to our methodology which enables them to interact in real time in a variety of contexts. Cultural enrichment is a strong value in our Department; students are exposed to a wide range of authentic materials such as books, films, poetry, art, history, special festivals which broaden their horizons and enable them to take their place as citizens of the world.

Where next? Links to careers

A second language is invaluable in today’s global economy and provides our students with a unique selling point when entering the world of work. In addition, learning a foreign language develops their communication skills, team working skills, attention to detail and ability to problem solve. Any career can be enhanced by knowing a second language! Many students combine a language with other subject areas for their degree for example: Economics with French, Law with Spanish, History with German and Biology with German to name but a few. Our GCSE and A Level students achieve high grades in their language examinations and some students have gone on to study at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Trips & visits

We offer a range of trips to the countries where the languages are spoken which happen on a regular basis. Our students really enjoy and benefit from their experience abroad; it is often one of the highlights of their time at Queen Mary’s High School. Recent destinations include, Berlin, Sevilla, Nice and Shandong Province in China. We also offer day trips related to language and culture within the UK.

Department staffing

The MFL Department consists of a team of dedicated professionals with years of experience in teaching languages. We are all passionate about passing on our love of languages to the next generation and our students appreciate our knowledge and insight.

How can parents help?

Parents can help their child with their MFL studies by encouraging them to review vocabulary and grammar on a regular basis, preferably several times a week in short bursts (15 to 20 minutes). Short bursts of practice on a frequent basis have been proven to have a greater impact on retaining and assimilating the new information. Allowing their child to have access to a digital device will enable them to make use of the numerous online resources that are available to them and practise their skills.

Queen Mary's High School