Staff lead: Mr Kirk
Curriculum intent
The study of a modern foreign languages at Tuxford Academy aims to promote a passion for language learning. It inspires an interest in culture and diversity, aiding students to become curious and confident language learners who are willing to make mistakes. They can listen, read, speak, translate and write in the target language and are confident in encountering new vocabulary. It aids young people to grasp the ever-changing world and understand those that they have yet to meet in their lifetime. It illustrates how to communicate, how to be culturally empathetic, how to manipulate a target language and, in turn, how to better understand their own. It builds on students’ linguistic capacity, as well as their capability to understand and communicate with people outside of their immediate context – a vital skill set to enable them to flourish in the world of work and beyond. Students will experience to cultural and personal development broaden horizons and minds.
Our curriculum in modern foreign languages at Tuxford Academy provides motivational opportunities that promote the love of learning a new language and scaffold students’ progress, both in their ability to read, write, listen, speak and translate in the target language, but also their understanding of shared key concepts. Our end goal is to ensure that students are developing linguistic skills and have secure knowledge that they can build on, to enable them to achieve or exceed their personal targets. For this reason, we strive for our key stage 3, 4 and 5 curriculums to be carefully interleaved and woven together to mirror the core skills (reading, listening, writing, speaking and translation), and knowledge needed for their academic and future career. Students gain confidence in the key language skills through deconstruction activities and by practising applying their skills in different contexts. They will gain the tools needed to promote independent production in active and passive skills (fluency, confidence, engagement and motivation).
Students build their knowledge base through regular memory retention exercises. Across language lessons, all students develop their verbal confidence as they practise their speaking skills in different forums, and this verbal confidence will help students to succeed beyond language lessons. Providing immersive learning opportunity is vital, and to maximise engagement and progress, we make cultural exploration a central feature of lessons and use age appropriate resources of contemporary relevance. We intend to give all students the opportunity to explore other cultures, via experiences in the classroom, such as through authentic literature and music from the target cultures and via trips to other countries, for example France. All students are given the opportunity to make use of the plethora of technology-based language learning available in class and for homework, for example those which promote vocabulary building, those that encourage development in the core skills and those which promote cultural exploration. Our modern foreign languages curriculum is ambitious yet supportive as we help students progress towards achieving their very best in their qualifications and beyond.
Key stage 3 – German
| Year | Topic | Knowledge and skills |
| 7 | Introducing self and others; health; and free time. | Students are introduced to the German language through topics relating to personal identity, health, free time and cultural traditions. They develop confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing by learning key vocabulary and grammatical structures, including present tense verbs, cases, modal verbs and connectives, while expressing opinions, giving reasons and communicating about themselves and the world around them. |
| 8 | My neighbourhood; holidays; and school. | Students develop their German language skills through topics relating to home, holidays and school life. They expand their ability to communicate about everyday experiences in the past and present, compare different cultures and lifestyles, and apply increasingly complex grammatical structures, including modal verbs, cases, adjective endings and the perfect tense, while building confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing. |
| 9 | Media; film study; and future plans/jobs. | Students develop their German language skills through the study of media, film and future aspirations. They build confidence in expressing opinions, discussing music, films and technology, while exploring German culture through film study and considering future education and career pathways. Students strengthen their communication skills by using justified opinions and future tense structures in speaking, listening, reading and writing. |
Key stage 3 – Spanish
| Year | Topic | Knowledge and skills |
| 7 | Introducing yourself, family and basics; school; and free time. | Students are introduced to the Spanish language through topics relating to personal identity, family, school, hobbies and cultural celebrations. They develop their confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing, while learning key vocabulary and grammatical structures such as tener and ser, adjective agreement, opinions, questions and simple future references. |
| 8 | Region; holidays; and the Hispanic world. | Students develop their understanding of the Spanish-speaking world through topics relating to home, local areas, travel, countries and cultures. They build confidence in communicating about past, present and future events, while exploring the geography, history and cultural identity of Spain and Latin America, and developing their skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing using increasingly complex grammatical structures. |
| 9 | Lifestyle; and media. | Students explore topics relating to food, health and media while developing their ability to communicate in a range of everyday situations. They expand their vocabulary and understanding of Spanish-speaking cultures, while applying a variety of grammatical structures to express opinions, discuss healthy lifestyles, describe past and future events, and understand increasingly authentic spoken and written language. |
Key stage 3 progress ladder
Our progress ladders show how student thinking and skills typically improve in each subject whereas our learning journeys are an overview that can be used to understand each subject in more detail.
Key stage 4 – GCSE German
Qualification: GCSE
Exam board: Pearson Edexcel
Course code: GCSE German (9–1)
| Year | Unit | Content covered | Knowledge and skills |
| 10 | Identity and culture – me, my family and friends. | Personal information; relationships with family and friends; descriptions of people; free-time interests; daily routine; social media and communication; customs and festivals in German-speaking countries. | Develop the ability to describe people, relationships and routines in spoken and written German. Express and justify opinions, discuss events in the present and past, use a range of connectives and time phrases, and understand cultural similarities and differences. Grammar: present tense, perfect tense, imperfect tense, adverbs, time phrases, complex opinions, if clauses, reflexive verbs in the past tense. |
| 10 | Free time activities; family and friends; technology and everyday life; and customs and festivals. | Hobbies and leisure activities; music, films and sport; use of technology and social media; friendships and relationships; celebrations, traditions and festivals in German-speaking countries. | Communicate confidently about interests and experiences, compare activities, discuss advantages and disadvantages of technology, and give detailed opinions with reasons. Build listening, reading, speaking and writing skills using a wider range of vocabulary and structures. Grammar: present, past, adverbs, if clauses, complex opinions, time phrases, imperfect, reflexive past. |
| 10 | Local area; social issues; global issues; and travel and tourism. | Home, town, region and environment; healthy and unhealthy lifestyles; volunteering and social issues; environmental challenges; holidays, travel experiences and future travel plans. | Describe and evaluate places, discuss local and global concerns, suggest solutions to environmental issues, and speak about travel experiences and future intentions. Understand authentic texts and produce extended, accurate responses. Grammar: prepositions, quantities, conditional tense, object pronouns, modal verbs, present continuous constructions, subjunctive forms, pluperfect tense. |
| 11 | Current study; future study; and career ambitions and choices. | School life and subjects; school rules; achievements and strengths; future education and training; careers, jobs and work experience; ambitions for the future. | Discuss school experiences and future plans in detail, compare subjects and career options, explain aspirations and intentions, and justify choices using a range of complex structures. Develop fluency and spontaneity for GCSE speaking and writing tasks. Grammar: comparatives and superlatives, imperatives, infinitive constructions, future expressions and future tense forms. |
Key stage 4 – GCSE Spanish
Qualification: GCSE
Exam board: Pearson Edexcel
Course code: ISP0
| Year | Unit | Content covered | Knowledge and skills |
| 10 | Identity and culture | Personal identity; relationships with family and friends; daily life and routines; free-time activities and hobbies; music, films and social media; technology and everyday life; customs, traditions and festivals in Spain and the Spanish-speaking world. | Develop the ability to communicate information about oneself, family, friendships and interests in spoken and written Spanish. Express and justify opinions, narrate events in the present and past, and understand cultural aspects of Spanish-speaking countries. Build confidence in listening, reading, speaking and writing across familiar contexts. Grammar: present tense, preterite, adverbs, cuando/si clauses, complex opinions, time phrases, imperfect tense, reflexive verbs in the past. |
| 10 | Local, national and internation areas of interest | Home, town, neighbourhood and region; healthy and unhealthy lifestyles; social and environmental issues; global challenges; holidays, travel and tourism; experiences and future travel plans. | Describe places and communities, discuss local and global issues, explain healthy lifestyle choices, and evaluate the impact of environmental concerns. Talk about past holidays and future travel plans using a range of tenses and more complex language. Develop extended writing and spontaneous speaking skills. Grammar: hay and prepositions, quantities, conditional tense, object pronouns, modal verbs, present continuous, subjunctive, pluperfect tense. |
| 11 | Current/future study and employment | School life and subjects; school rules and pressures; future study and training; jobs and work experience; career ambitions; employment opportunities; future plans and aspirations. | Discuss and evaluate school experiences, compare subjects and educational pathways, explain future ambitions and career choices, and justify decisions using a range of structures. Strengthen exam skills through extended speaking and writing tasks and improve accuracy across all four language skills. Grammar: comparatives and superlatives, hay que, infinitive constructions, future expressions, quisiera and other structures for expressing wishes and aspirations. |
Key stage 4 assessment information
| Assessment | Topic | Information |
| Paper one | Listening | Assessment of understanding and responding to spoken language across the themes of identity and culture, local area/holiday and travel, and school/future aspirations (German); or current and future study and employment (Spanish). Students identify key information, opinions, details and implied meaning. |
| Paper two | Speaking | Assessment of spoken communication through role play, picture-based discussion and conversation. Students demonstrate pronunciation, fluency, interaction skills and the ability to express and justify opinions across a range of GCSE topics. |
| Paper three | Reading | Assessment of understanding written texts, including authentic materials. Students identify main points, details, opinions and attitudes, and demonstrate translation skills from the target language into English. |
| Paper four | Writing | Assessment of written communication through a range of writing tasks. Students demonstrate accurate use of vocabulary and grammar, develop extended responses, translate from English into the target language and communicate ideas effectively across GCSE themes. |
Key stage 5
Visit our sixth form German A level course page or our Spanish A level course page for more details on our key stage 5 offer.
Careers and future pathways
| Further study opportunities | Career pathways |
| Modern foreign languages A level (German or Spanish) | Language teacher |
| BTEC travel and tourism | Translator |
| International business and management | Interpreter |
| European languages degree | International business manager |
| Linguistics and language studies | Diplomatic services officer |
| Tourism and hospitality management | Linguist |
| International relations | Travel consultant |
| Law with languages | Journalist or foreign correspondent |
| Higher education in languages or languages combined with another subject | International lawyer |
| Apprenticeships with international employers | Careers in global organisations, NGOs and multinational companies |
| Study or work abroad programmes | Careers in education, tourism, commerce, media and public services |
