About the department

The ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure in this country and throughout the world.

The Modern Foreign Languages Department at Prudhoe Community High School aims to develop students’ ability to communicate in the target language and to have a greater understanding and respect for different cultures. Learning a foreign language gives students opportunities to develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and to express themselves with increasing confidence, independence and creativity.

Most students study both French and Spanish in Year 9 and they have the opportunity to continue their MFL studies in one or both languages at GCSE Level. The Year 9 curriculum builds upon the foundations of language learning introduced in Key Stage 2 by reinforcing vocabulary, grammar and transactional language. The KS3 curriculum aims for students to have explored diverse linguistic topics allowing them to express themselves in a foreign language and to provide a foundation for the skills covered at GCSE level.

Around 60% of students opt to study one language or more at GCSE level and there are five classes across French and Spanish in both Years 10 and 11. The GCSE curriculum allows students to enrich their knowledge about how language works and to extend their vocabulary in order for them to increase their independent use and understanding of extended language in a wide range of contexts.

The A Level curriculum allows students to study the socio-political, historical and literary context of the target language countries. The curriculum sequences knowledge and skills to build on prior learning and enable students to widen their understanding, knowledge and use of a variety of language competencies and complex grammatical structures. The uptake of students studying an A Level in MFL is increasing and each year we have a number of students going on to University to continue their studies in MFL. 

The MFL department actively participates in extra-curricular activities in school such as lunchtime revision sessions or breakfast intervention sessions. During European Day of Languages week, we enjoy promoting MFL through form time activities and we also participate in external MFL study days with Routes into Languages and the Tyneside Cinema. We also have penpal links with schools in France and Spain and past MFL trips abroad have been to both Paris and Tossa de Mar near Barcelona.