The Modern Foreign Language Faculty

The Modern Languages Faculty is a very strong, hard-working and highly professional team, committed to providing the best possible opportunities for all students. Our aim is to foster a love of languages in every learner and enable them to reach the highest standards in language communication. We place a strong emphasis on challenge and have high expectations for all students. We encourage the use of the target language and strive to enthuse learners through careful planning of lessons and the use of a wide variety of resources. We expect that students will achieve their best, enjoy the journey and strive towards excellence, in keeping with the school’s motto: ‘Achieve. Enjoy. Excel’. 

Our GCSE results are excellent, with a value added score of +0.29 in 2019 and +0.33 in 2022. We are a flagship faculty within the school and uptake is incredibly high, with around 75% of all students choosing to take a language at GCSE and beyond.

The Faculty offers French, German and Italian as language choices within the school. Students study French and either German or Italian in Years 7 and 8, except where it is considered necessary from an educational view to withdraw them from a language. At the end of Year 8, students are given the opportunity to continue with both subjects or to dedicate themselves to the study of one language as a precursor to taking that subject at GCSE. 

French is based on the Studio course, German on the Stimmt course, and Italian on a variety of resources. There is a common thread to all lessons within the Faculty, with students of all languages understanding from Year 7 onwards, what is expected in their work in terms of language and grammar.

The Faculty regularly runs a wide programme of trips and school journeys. There are day trips to Boulogne-sur-Mer and the Europa Centre, and theatre, cinema and university visits. There is an annual trip to a region in France, most recently Normandy and Brittany, and biannual trips to Germany (the Rhine Valley) and Italy (Lago di Garda or the Amalfi Coast). This summer, students studying Italian will enjoy a residential trip to Florence and A Level students have the opportunity to spend a few days in Paris or Berlin in order to assist with preparing for their Individual Research Project. Throughout the school, language learning is thriving and is also supported by special events such as theatre group visits, talks from external speakers or celebration of special events like La Chandeleur. 

The Faculty is well organised and thriving, embracing all current teaching methods and achieving excellent results. The staff are committed and experienced and happy to share expertise and resources. This would be an excellent opportunity for someone who is passionate about teaching languages and committed to providing the very best learning opportunities for our students.