Modern Foreign Languages

We aim to instil open-mindedness in every student, by helping to create an understanding of other cultures and people and to develop a respect for other cultures.  This allows students to grow their global awareness, recognition of their role as a global citizen and tolerance of others regardless of any differences.  Learning languages at Parmiter’s School provides students with a life-skill that they will take out into the wider world with them and which will continue to benefit them throughout their lives.

Our aim is to foster in all students an understanding of how languages work and to develop their confidence in communicating in a different language regardless of their academic ability.  We aim to deliver a rich, inspiring and rigorous curriculum which enables our students to develop their linguistic skills, while also establishing transferable skills, creativity and independence in learning.  We aim to provide an exciting and enjoyable learning experience that stimulates and informs, as well as encouraging a curiosity for linguistic structures and the differences between language systems.

Students will develop their ability to listen and read for gist and detail. They will learn to communicate through speaking and writing in other languages.  Students are set according to ability from Year 8 (French) and Year 9 (Spanish/German) to Year 11, which enables us to provide a cyclical curriculum suitable to their needs and at a pace that allows everyone to maximise their own personal potential.

In addition to the curriculum detailed in the link below, we offer lunchtime clubs run by Key Stage 5 students or the Foreign Language assistants.  These are generally fun sessions, although at Key Stage 4 we run stretch & challenge sessions and support sessions for different groups of students as they approach their GCSE examinations.  The Year 7 and Year 8 clubs allow our older students to share their passion for languages with the younger students, which helps motivate and stretch these groups. Involving the Year 12 and 13 students allows them to experiment with using the language in different contexts too, which develops their organisational, presentation and leadership skills.

We recognise the importance and value of visits abroad and therefore offer visits to France, Germany and Spain.  German students sometimes go to Austria or Switzerland in Year 12 and Year 13.  Visits are always educational and involve speaking the language and learning about the culture of the country visited.  Activities are planned to ensure they are age appropriate, motivational and fun and, of course, accessible to the students in terms of their level of competency in the language.