Benvenuto,Bienvenue, Bienvenido, Boas-vindas, Καλωσόρισμα, приветствовать, Willkommen, Witamy, کاخیرمقدمto the Modern Foreign Languages Webpage

Here at St Marks we strongly believe that learning a Modern Foreign Languages is a necessity for all young people to have the chance to do.St Marks is a vibrant community, where 30 different languages are being spoken at any one place on any given day and so it is very important that we build on this in the time that students are with us.

Starting in Year 7 with French and Spanish, students have the chance to develop the language skills in the classroom that they have touched upon in Primary School or begin a new exciting learning experience with us. All students will get the chance to learn French or Spanish by speaking in the classroom, using interactive websites and using specific language programmes. Students will quickly feel confident in describing themselves and their school life, describing their home and their family and being able to order food and drink in France and Spain. Lessons will require all students to work with fellow students on speaking assignments and work collaboratively. Modern Foreign Languages is at the forefront of teaching and learning within the Academy allowing every student to make significant progress in their time with us. The aim of the curriculum is to help young people become successful learners, confident individuals and motivated students. We embrace and value diversity and ensure the wide range of topics and themes studied are relevant and engaging across every year group.

Year 7 is only the beginning of the journey that takes students right through Key Stage 3 and then all students have the option to choose a language for the GCSE examination in Key Stage 4.This year almost 50% of Year 10 have embarked on a GCSE pathway in French which is vital for their future, their A Level choices, University Degree and career path.Students we hope are even considering the possibility of living and working abroad in the future.

The Language department runs an extensive enrichment offer which enables students the opportunity to explore different languages to the one that they study in class and we are able to offer many ‘real life’ learning opportunities and educational visits including a Paris study trip, links with local primary schools and a workshop with professional actors who perform a play in a chosen foreign language. We can offer GCSE examinations in 10 different languages and more and more students are choosing to do an A/S or A Level with us.

Finally did you know that if you speak a foreign language, you will have 10 more friends than if you could not do so and you are likely to earn an extra £5000 per year for the rest of your working life!