School Life
Discover academic excellence, personal development, and a vibrant community at Ernest Bevin Academy.
Modern Foreign Languages
The Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum at Ernest Bevin Academy aims to foster pupils' curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It also provides opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language.
At Ernest Bevin Academy, we offer French and Spanish as our core languages, with opportunities to study additional languages through enrichment activities and in the Sixth Form.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9)
In Years 7-9, all students study either French or Spanish as their core language. The curriculum is designed to build students' confidence in all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
French - Year 7
Autumn Term
- Introducing yourself
- Family and pets
- Numbers and dates
- Grammar: Present tense regular verbs, gender, articles
Spring Term
- School subjects and opinions
- Free time activities
- Grammar: Regular -er verbs, expressing opinions
Summer Term
- Describing where you live
- Weather and seasons
- Planning for holidays
- Grammar: Near future tense, prepositions
Spanish - Year 7
Autumn Term
- Greetings and introductions
- Classroom language
- Numbers and alphabet
- Grammar: Gender, definite and indefinite articles
Spring Term
- Family and physical descriptions
- Pets and animals
- Grammar: Present tense of regular verbs, adjective agreement
Summer Term
- School subjects and opinions
- Telling the time
- Daily routine
- Grammar: Reflexive verbs, expressing opinions
Years 8 and 9
In Years 8 and 9, students continue with their chosen language, developing their skills and knowledge through topics such as:
- Food and healthy eating
- Fashion and shopping
- Local area and travel
- Media and technology
- Holidays and tourism
- Health and lifestyle
- Future plans and ambitions
Grammar is progressively developed, including past and future tenses, more complex sentence structures, and idiomatic expressions.
Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
At Key Stage 4, students follow the AQA GCSE French or Spanish specification. The GCSE course builds on the foundation established at Key Stage 3 and develops students' ability to communicate confidently and coherently in speech and writing.
GCSE Themes
The course covers three themes:
- Identity and culture (family, technology, free time, customs, festivals)
- Local, national, international and global areas of interest (home, town, social issues, environment, travel, tourism)
- Current and future study and employment (school life, education, career choices, ambitions)
Assessment
GCSE assessment is divided equally across the four language skills:
- Listening (25% of GCSE): Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language
- Speaking (25% of GCSE): Communicating and interacting effectively in speech
- Reading (25% of GCSE): Understanding and responding to different types of written language, including translation from the foreign language into English
- Writing (25% of GCSE): Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes, including translation from English into the foreign language
Key Stage 5 (Sixth Form)
In the Sixth Form, students can choose to continue their language studies with A-Level French or Spanish. We follow the AQA specification, which offers a stimulating course that develops linguistic competence, knowledge and understanding of the culture and society of countries where the language is spoken.
Course Content
A-Level topics include:
- Social issues and trends (e.g., family, digital society, diversity, marginalization, migration, crime)
- Political and artistic culture (e.g., music, media, festivals, customs, heritage, politics, activism)
- Literary texts and films (in-depth study of selected works)
- Grammar (comprehensive coverage of grammatical structures)
- Individual research project (student-selected topic relating to a country where the language is spoken)
Assessment
A-Level assessment consists of:
- Paper 1: Listening, reading and translation (50% of A-Level)
- Paper 2: Writing - essays on literary texts and/or films (20% of A-Level)
- Paper 3: Speaking - discussion of a theme and presentation/discussion of individual research project (30% of A-Level)
Additional Languages
Beyond our core French and Spanish curriculum, we offer additional language learning opportunities:
- Latin Club (Years 7-9)
- Mandarin Chinese enrichment classes (Years 8-11)
- Community languages support for heritage speakers of Arabic, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, and Urdu
- Language Leaders program for Sixth Form students
Enrichment Opportunities
- European Day of Languages celebrations
- Foreign language cinema club
- Language exchange programs with partner schools in France and Spain
- Annual residential trips to target language countries
- UK-based language immersion days
- Language competitions and challenges
- Visits from native speakers and cultural performances
- Cross-curricular language projects
How Parents Can Help
- Encourage regular vocabulary learning and practice
- Use language learning apps and websites at home (see resources below)
- Watch films or TV programs in the target language with subtitles
- Listen to music or podcasts in the target language
- Practice simple conversations at home
- Consider family trips to countries where the language is spoken
- Attend foreign language events in London
- Support participation in school trips and exchanges
Useful Resources
Websites and Apps
Additional Resources
- KS3 French/Spanish Vocabulary Lists (Download PDF)
- GCSE Revision Guide (Download PDF)
- Grammar Reference Sheets (Download PDF)
- Speaking Preparation Booklet (Download PDF)