Modern Foreign Languages

Bienvenue! Bienvenido! Willkommen!

Breckenbrough students usually take French in KS2 and KS3 and may choose it as a GCSE or A Level subject. We also offer Spanish and German if a student expresses an interest or aptitude in these languages.

We actively promote a sense of achievement amongst our students, building self-confidence and developing social skills, giving them the tools and skills to become able language learners. We focus mainly on oral skills, learning through games and conversations, but we also tackle more demanding grammatical and academic work. We take a flexible approach, building as much as we can on the students’ areas of interest.

Bringing languages to life

In the past few years, the school has taken groups of students on trips to Belgium and France, and we aim to give as many students as possible the chance to experience life and culture in a foreign country at some point in their time at Breckenbrough School. Trips are carefully planned and well-staffed, and allow all participants to step out of their comfort zone in a safe context.

Why languages?

In our globalised world, languages are more important than ever! Learning a foreign language develops literacy skills, supporting and reinforcing first language learning. It also trains youngsters to think flexibly and opens up their horizons to the world beyond.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” Nelson Mandela

Language graduates are the third most employable graduates (after medicine and law) and can work in a wide range of fields. Employers welcome even a basic knowledge of foreign languages. You can work in fields as varied as the police, the army, finance, industry, or academia.

Languages are also, of course, a huge advantage when travelling and experiencing other cultures first hand.

Learning Map

Our curriculum is wide, varied and flexible. Here is a flavour of the topics studied.

KS2
Me and my pets, The Week Before Christmas, My favourite hobbies.

KS3
Year 7: Welcome, My Year, My home.
Year 8: In and around town, What I eat (and don’t eat!), Fashion, The Grand Tour.
Year 9: Spooky Tales, The Media, Things we do to our body, At the cinema.

KS4
We aim to develop speaking and writing skills further and prepare students for the AQA GCSE exam.
Topic 1: Identity and culture.
Topic 2: Local, national, international and global areas of interest.
Topic 3: Current and future study and employment.

All 4 key areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing are assessed.