In Year 7 students are given the building blocks which will act as the foundation for subsequent learning within themes which enable self-expression. Concepts which are central to the Target Language grammar are introduced, such as verb conjugations in the Present tense and adjectival agreements. By the end of the year, students will amass a substantial bank of new vocabulary and will be able to manipulate it to produce language that is relevant to themselves and their immediate environment. The themes explored in Year 7 will be expanded and further developed in the years ahead, giving students the opportunity to build on their previous learning.  

In Year 8, the topics included are an opportunity to review the present tense formation introduced in Year 7. Students will also develop and enrich their vocabulary to talk about themselves and their preferences, with relatable topics such as music, fashion, etc. Students will have the opportunity to discuss cultural differences (music, food, celebrations etc.) which will enrich their cultural knowledge and supports the anti-racism school priority.

In Year 9, the topics included first provide an opportunity to review past tense formation introduced in Year 8. The Celebrations module also enhances students’ cultural capital in relation to key world events, such as Remembrance Day, Christmas, Easter, Eid al-Fitr, or Day of the Dead. This topic is featured in the GCSE specifications. Discussing other cultures and celebrations also supports the anti-racism school priority.  

The next 2 topics (Earning a living, Future plans), are included here to revisit the future timeframes. It links to students’ real-life experience as they are delivered alongside their Option choices in Year 9.

Year 9 end the year discussing Health and lifestyles, as a way to: bring all 3 timeframes together (I did, I do, I will do) in relation to their own habits; promote healthy lifestyles; support the school value of Family, specifically, ‘respect yourself’ and ‘care for and support each other’.

Thanks to the consolidation of a variety of timeframes and topical vocabulary, students are prepared to continue their study of the language to the next level.

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In year 10 and 11, the topics and planning prepare for current GCSE content and examinations, which builds on the core grammar and high-frequency vocabulary introduced in KS3. Lessons are designed to review knowledge routinely through the frequent use of Retrieval activities. Students are then expected to build on that through targeted skills development and regular assessment.

The topics explored in Y10 act as both a bridge with KS3 (specifically, topic 1: Family and friends, which was first introduced in Year 7 and is most familiar to students), and with the students’ real-life experiences (such as doing their work experience prior to the last topic on Jobs and Careers.)  

The topics explored in Y11 act as a bridge with KS3 (specifically, topic 1: Travel and tourism, which was introduced in Year 8 and revisited in 9, is most familiar to students and enables them to revisit 3 timeframe formations once more), and, having built up years of knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar, enable students to tackle more complete subjects such as Environmental issues, poverty, etc.  

Students end the course with a good, secure knowledge of vocabulary and grammar at KS4, acting as a strong foundation to be built upon in the first term of KS5 should they continue with their language studies, which we promote and encourage.

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In the first year of study, A-Level topics are chosen because they are familiar to students as they have studied ‘Family and relationships’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Media’ at KS4. Building on themes that are familiar to students, language development moves away from set phrases and vocabulary to enable students to express opinions in a meaningful way.  

The film is introduced in Y12 and students start to acquaint themselves with the structures and themes that will be analysed in an increasingly complex manner over the two years of study.

In Year 13, more controversial aspects of society are added in, leading to more meaningful discussions and class debates, which will enable students to improve and practice higher level language skills. They also develop more mature arguments around complex topics such as the Death penalty, Migration, or Politics. The grammar also revises what has been learnt at KS4 but more tenses and complex structures are added, such subjunctives, indirect speech, passive forms etc.

The literary work is introduced in Y13 as students have developed a more secure grasp of complex vocabulary and grammar by that stage and are better equipped to read a novel in the Target language and discuss its themes.

Students end the course with a very good, secure knowledge of vocabulary and grammar at KS5, which enables them to continue studying the language or start a language ab initio at university, or gives them the fluency required to securely communicate with native speakers.

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