Curriculum Aims
Communication is the fundamental skill that everyone on the planet has in common, in a world where technology has increased both the frequency and speed of travel and communications, the relevance of speaking a modern foreign language has only grown in significance. At Sandhurst, our intention is to develop an appreciation for speaking a different language and exposing students to the culture it is embedded in. The curriculum is based around the four key communication skills which include reading, writing, speaking and listening.
We seek to encourage all students to develop their proficiency in speaking another language, by gradually building on basic grammar, formulating tenses, translating texts and having some fun! Ultimately, we want students to see the relevance and importance of additional languages in the modern world and how it relates to employment and cultural awareness. We want to see as many students as possible taking their studies to GCSE and beyond, but even if this is not their choice, we seek to give every student a good grounding in a foreign language, in a hope that they will use it in the future.
KS3 Curriculum Summary
| MFL | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
| Year 7 | Intro to Language 1 Basic first person verbs Basic opinions Building up from word to sentence level Intro to Language 2 |
Family Verbs to have/to be first and third person Reflexive verbs first person Qualifiers Adjective agreement Understanding a longer text (reading) School |
Free time Frequency phrases Future tense Asking and responding to questions Food and drink |
| Assessment | Key Vocab List | ||
| Year 8 | Family Regular present tense verbs Noun/Adj. Agreement, Gender Understanding a longer text (reading) School |
Leisure Talking about plans for the weekend Time phrases Negatives Being able to interact in social situations Home |
Town Healthy Living |
| Assessment | |||
| Year 9 | Family and Relationships Introduce past tense Giving Opinions and Reasons Time indicators Understanding and answering questions in the TL New technologies and media |
Holidays Using three tenses Using the past tense to recount a past holiday Imperfect tense (when I was younger…) Understanding and responding to role-play questions Work and future plans |
Environmental and social issues Modal verbs Recognising bigger numbers and statistics Understanding more complex texts Using more complex vocabulary Customs and festivals with a project |
| Assessment | |||
KS4 Areas of Study
The GCSE course is broken down into three broad themes:
- Identity and culture: Me, my family and friends; technology; free time activities; customs and festivals.
- Areas of interest: Home, town, neighbourhood and region; social issues; global issues; travel and tourism.
- Current and future study and employment: My studies; life at school and college; education post-16; jobs, career choices and ambitions.
In addition, students are taught how to deal with more complex grammatical structures in order to be successful.
At the end of the two-year course, students are assessed in four skills (listening, speaking, reading & writing) in relation to the themes covered.
KS5 Areas of Study
Students cover content units as follows throughout the two-year course:
- Current trends: The changing nature of family; the cyber-society; voluntary work.
- Artistic culture: Culture; music; cinema.
- Current issues: Features of a diverse society; life for the marginalised; how criminals are treated.
- Political life: Teenagers and the right to vote; protests and strikes; politics and immigration.
In addition, students study a book and a film. Students are also expected to complete an IRP (independent research project) which will form part of the speaking exam at the end of year 13.
