LANGUAGES

“Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savor their songs.”

Nelson Mandela

Our core vision in the MFL department is to ensure that all our students are well equipped to thrive and achieve their best potential in the global world that we live in today. Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity; we intend to open students to other cultures, to foster our students’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world they live in. We want to make them aware of the value and importance of learning a language and further challenge those insular behaviours.

At Monkwearmouth Academy, the MFL curriculum is planned to enable all students to experience a high-quality languages education which fosters students’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. We aim to develop their respect for others both in our communities and around the world and we want to build up their cultural capital and widen their horizons through a range of class activities, cultural events and trips.

If we wish to ensure they become true global citizens, effective communication in a foreign language is of course key. However, it is also imperative that students are able to embrace different cultures and customs. We want our students to be passionate, curious and excited about the world and the people around us. Our aim is to instil an outward outlook on life and cherish cultural differences so we can also better understand our own.

 

We aim to explicitly reinforce in our students an appreciation of the value of language learning for their future, including career aspirations, leisure opportunities, as well as the skills and aptitudes which employers value in the workplace. Throughout their language learning, we encourage all students to aim high, stay positive and be resilient, whilst simultaneously developing their communication and thinking skills, teambuilding and problem-solving skills and also, self-management.

In the MFL department, we strive to inspire our students to BELIEVE in their linguistic abilities, to enable them to ACHIEVE their linguistic potential and develop a skill set which will help them SUCCEED in further study, future careers and travel abroad.

CURRICULUM PLANS