“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Nelson Mandela

“Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things.”
Flora Lewis

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein

At Orchard Mead Academy, our MFL curriculum aims are for our students to:

  • Work hard to become ambitious, confident and resilient linguists who take pride in their progress.
  • Be kind and respectful, showing curiosity and appreciation for other cultures, learners and perspectives.
  • Take responsibility for their learning through regular practice, reflection and independent revision.

Our Curriculum Intent:

At Orchard Mead Academy, we are proud to develop curious, confident, and ambitious linguists who celebrate and respect the cultural and linguistic diversity of our global community. Learning a language is not just about mastering vocabulary and grammar — it’s about broadening horizons, developing empathy, and becoming global citizens who value and understand the world around them.

In the MFL department, we embody the Orchard Oath — Work Hard, Be Kind, Be Responsible.

Our students work hard to master new words and structures, showing resilience as they tackle the challenges of language learning. They are kind and respectful when exploring different cultures and perspectives, and they take responsibility for their learning by practising regularly and supporting one another in lessons.

We aim to empower every student to succeed and to foster a lifelong love of languages through an inspiring curriculum that is engaging, inclusive, and creative. Lessons are filled with enthusiasm, collaboration, and curiosity — supported by multimedia resources and, most importantly, by the passion of our teachers.

From the very first lessons, students engage in activities that build phonological awareness (understanding the sound–spelling patterns of French and Spanish), develop confident pronunciation, and learn to introduce themselves naturally. They also explore the vast French- and Spanish-speaking worlds, discovering that these languages are spoken across multiple continents and cultures.

We promote excellent study habits through regular retrieval and revision of core vocabulary. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their progress by completing short, focused revision sessions of 5–15 minutes several times a week. To celebrate this commitment, students can earn Oath Points when they demonstrate independent effort and determination outside of lessons.

Our lessons are lively, purposeful, and designed to support long-term memory and fluency through a mix of reading, listening, speaking, and writing tasks. The study of languages also plays a vital role in developing literacy, oracy, and problem-solving skills. By analysing grammar and vocabulary, students strengthen their understanding of how language works — enhancing their written and verbal communication across all subjects. These transferable skills support their confidence as readers, writers, and speakers of English, while also improving their memory and cognitive flexibility.

At Key Stage 4, students continue to develop their confidence and resilience as they prepare for the AQA GCSE qualification. They revisit and extend vocabulary through regular testing, practise chunks of language for their writing and speaking exams, and receive personalised feedback from their dedicated GCSE teacher to help them make ambitious progress. Assessment in MFL is purposeful and supportive: regular low-stakes quizzes, vocabulary tests, and speaking practice help students to track their progress and identify next steps. Teachers use this information to plan lessons that build on prior knowledge, close learning gaps, and stretch students to achieve ambitious, aspirational goals.

We are committed to ensuring that every learner, regardless of their starting point, feels supported, valued, and challenged. Lessons are carefully scaffolded, with stretch and support activities designed to help all students make progress. We celebrate individual effort and success so that every learner can experience pride in their achievements and see themselves as capable linguists.

Throughout all stages, our curriculum embeds spaced learning and retrieval practice to strengthen memory and recall over time. We also encourage students to engage with the language beyond the classroom — by listening to authentic clips, watching short videos, and joining our OMA Duolingo French and Spanish classes to compete and learn in a fun, interactive way.

Our MFL curriculum reflects the wider Orchard Mead vision by nurturing knowledge, character, and community. Students learn to communicate effectively, show curiosity about the wider world, and develop empathy and respect for others. Through language learning, they build the character and confidence to thrive in an interconnected global society, becoming responsible, outward-looking citizens who understand the power of language to connect people and cultures.

As students progress, they build a deeper understanding of grammar and structure, becoming increasingly confident and creative with the language. They learn to adapt and manipulate vocabulary to express their own ideas with precision and flair. Ultimately, our goal is for every student to experience the joy and pride of communication in another language — to understand and be understood.

By the time they leave Orchard Mead, our students are not only confident linguists but also ambitious, resilient, and responsible young people — ready to embrace the opportunities of an interconnected world. They understand that learning a language opens doors: to new ideas, to other cultures, and to a future full of possibility.

KS3 Overview

Autumn 1 Autumn 2 Spring 1 Spring 2 Summer 1 Summer 2
Year 7 Introduction to French: numbers and dates – phonics Phonics, where you’re from and languages you speak Phonics, school and teachers Phonics, school timetable and activities Phonics, My home and houses Phonics, My area, places in town and activities
Year 8 Sports and hobbies Sports and hobbies and weather Holiday destinations Future plans Culture Food and culture
Year 9 Past holidays Holidays using multiple tenses Media Technology Marriage, Relationships and future plans Festivals and music

Year 7 – Units 1, 2 and 3

Unit 1: Introducing myself and my family

Students establish strong foundations in French or Spanish pronunciation through regular phonics practice. They learn to exchange greetings, describe how they are feeling and give personal information including their name, age and birthday. Students use numbers and dates, express likes and dislikes, and begin to talk about other people as well as themselves. They then learn vocabulary for family members and describe people’s appearance, including their hair, eyes, height and distinguishing features. By the end of the unit, students can produce and understand a short introduction about themselves and their family.

Unit 2: School

Students learn to talk about school subjects and their timetable, giving a range of opinions and supporting these with reasons. They learn to tell the time, say when lessons take place and describe what they and other people do at school, including activities such as reading, writing, listening, speaking and working with others. Students develop their use of present-tense verbs, connectives and expressions of frequency so that they can give increasingly detailed accounts of school life and compare their own preferences with those of their friends.

Unit 3: My home and region

Students describe where they live, who they live with and whether their home is in a city, town, village, coastal area, countryside or mountainous region. They learn to identify places and facilities in their local area, explain what can be done there and describe where and when they complete different activities. The unit also covers types of housing, rooms in the home and everyday activities and routines at home. Students continue to develop opinions and justifications and begin to explain where they would like to live in the future.

Year 8 – Units 4, 5 and 6

Unit 4: Free time and healthy living

Students learn to discuss free-time activities, sports and hobbies and to explain where, when and how often they take part in them. They express and justify preferences and use key structures associated with playing games, doing sports and going to different places. Students then make weekend plans using the near future and explain how the weather affects their choices. The unit also covers daily and morning routines, telling the time, healthy eating and drinking, and advice about staying fit. Students finish by explaining what they are going to do to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Unit 5: Future holidays and jobs

Students explore future plans through the linked themes of holidays and careers. They discuss when and where they are going to travel, different means of transport, accommodation, the length of a stay and activities they would like to do while away. They then learn the names of different jobs and workplaces, describe the work undertaken by members of their family and give balanced opinions about different careers. Students compare present circumstances with future intentions and use near-future and aspirational structures to explain what job they would like to do, where they would like to work and why.

Unit 6: My region and the French- or Spanish-speaking world

Students describe and compare towns, neighbourhoods and regions, considering features such as size, location, amenities, traffic, pollution and green spaces. They explain what can be done locally, make plans, arrange outings and give reasons why they can or cannot take part. The cultural strand explores the geography, history, languages, traditions, food and music of different parts of the wider French- and Spanish-speaking worlds. In French, students study France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco, Senegal, French Polynesia and Martinique. In Spanish, they study Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Students finish by designing and describing their ideal town and explaining what they would do there.

Key Stage 4 follows on from Key Stage 3 – the nature of language learning means that the most effective way to teach and learn is to build on and develop prior knowledge, so we have designed the GCSE course to teach the essentials of learning French from day 1. Years 10 and 11 do tackle one or two more serious topics that require more maturity (for example homelessness and the environment) but the intent behind it and the key building blocks remain the same.

Autumn 1

 

 Autumn 2 Spring 1

 

 Spring 2

 

 Summer 1

 

 Summer 2

 
Year 10 School and Future Plans – future tense and university The world of work The environment Social issues Revision of Theme 1 and Exam Prep Revision of Theme 2 and Exam prep
Year 11 Revision of Theme 3 and Exam Prep Translation and Speaking Exam prep Exam skills and practice papers

Year 10

Year 10 builds directly on the vocabulary, grammar and communication skills developed at Key Stage 3. Students explore personal identity, personality, family, friendships and relationships before studying school life, further education, jobs and future careers. Other topics include celebrations, towns and local areas, environmental issues, celebrities, free time, sport, healthy living, social media, technology and holidays. Throughout the year, students learn to discuss experiences and opinions across different time frames, give detailed reasons and respond to increasingly challenging material.

We use a flipped-learning approach to make lessons more focused and efficient. Students receive the vocabulary for each lesson in advance so that they can learn and review it before using it in class. Regular vocabulary checks encourage consistent preparation and help students recall language independently. Each week includes lessons dedicated to reading, listening and speaking, and writing, ensuring that all four skills are developed systematically. Students apply their language through translation, photo-card activities and increasingly extended spoken and written responses. By the end of Year 10, students will have encountered every GCSE topic area and will be ready to consolidate and refine their knowledge in Year 11.

Year 11

In Year 11, students revisit every topic several times throughout the year. Topics are deliberately interleaved across reading, listening, speaking and writing so that important vocabulary remains fresh and students learn to retrieve it confidently in different contexts. For example, students may encounter a topic through a reading lesson before returning to it later through listening, speaking or writing. Vocabulary learning, regular quizzes and retrieval activities continue to strengthen long-term recall.

Students revisit topics from Year 10 while developing greater accuracy, fluency and independence. They refine their use of different time frames, opinions, reasons and more complex language and practise applying their knowledge to GCSE-style reading, listening, translation, photo-card, role-play, speaking and extended-writing tasks. This repeated exposure allows students to identify gaps, strengthen weaker areas and approach their final assessments with a secure understanding of the full course.

All years:

More challenging (for KS4 and very confident KS3 students):

GCSE resources (French currently, Spanish to follow)

Spanish resources:

More challenging (very confident KS3):

Co-curricular opportunities

  • French trips to Boulogne & Paris
  • (Spanish trips to follow as our cohort of Spanish students grows)
  • French & Spanish cuisine

Stretch and challenge opportunities

  • University visits to see a languages degree course in action
  • Opportunities to ‘TA’ in KS3 classes
  • French film and TV listening comprehension

Revision advice

Use the above websites to support your passive learning; in particular, you must hone your listening skills in order to be successful in the Listening component of the exam. When you revise vocabulary, make sure you listen to the terms, using websites such as Quizlet and including the audio. If you want even more challenge to prepare you for A-Level French, you can watch the French version of Newsround – ARTE Journal Junior listen to French radio, read French magazines or newspapers online.

Use the exam practise workbooks and study past papers online (https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/french-8658)

Create flashcards and mind maps and why not collaborate with your peers? Nothing can beat being tested on vocab or practising your speaking questions with a friend.  Above all, you must participate in lessons, look back over previously learned material (that’s how you remember!) and make notes to support your learning – languages only sink in if YOU are an active user of them!

Additional information

We also offer GCSEs in many home languages including but not limited to Gujarati, Polish, Turkish and Italian. If you have English as additional language or of you are fluent in more than one language, come and speak to us about sitting it as an extra GCSE in Year 11. We are happy to offer support and guidance in this and many of our past students have been very successful in achieving an extra qualification via this method.

Your teachers are here to support you and we are always happy to talk about opportunities or challenges. The languages department is a vibrant and inclusive place, which values everyone’s contribution, so come and talk to us if you have any ideas or questions.

Subject Leader/s

Mr L Coupe-Porter