THE ROCHESTER GRAMMAR SCHOOL
HEADTEACHER: MS D SHEPHERD B.A. (Hons) M.A. NPQH
A combined Mathematics/Computing and Music Specialist School
Modern Languages Department
There are currently six full time members of the Faculty:
Mrs Susan Barry
Miss Elizabeth Batey
Mrs Mary Harper
Ms Linda Lawlor
Miss Stéphanie Martinez
Mrs Elizabeth Nichols
Teacher of German and French
Global Partnership Co-ordinator; teacher of
French and Spanish
Curriculum Leader for German; teacher of
German and French
Teacher of French and Religious Studies
Teacher of Spanish and French
Curriculum Leader for French and Spanish;
teacher of French and German
The area also benefits from the full time allocation for both French and German
Assistants and a part-time Spanish Assistant
The area is accommodated in a well-resourced languages suite of five classrooms,
each with access to an interactive whiteboard (Smartboard). One room is equipped
with perimeter audio facilities and another with computers.
In Year 7 students are allocated two of the three languages on offer, French,
German and Spanish, depending on their House. At the end of Year 7 students
chose which language they would like to pursue up to GCSE level, taken at the end
of Year 9 as part of the Compressed Curriculum. They will have the opportunity of
taking up their second language in Year 9 again if they so wish.
We have had highly successful exchanges, with the Lycée Pilote Innovant et
International in Poitiers, France, and one with the Collège Sainte-Véronique et Saint
José, in Liège, Belgium. We hosted 32 Belgian students for a two day business
conference in which 40 of our students took part. We also returned to Liège in June
2008 taking part in a series of visits in and around Liège and a business conference
in the Lycée. A further link with the Lycée Pilote Innovant et International, in
Poitiers, has been developed for Key Stage Five French. In Year 8 students
participate in a day-trip to Le Touquet.
Year 8 and 9 pupils travel to Aachen in December for a day at the Christmas market. Years
9 and 10 take part in a 5-day visit to Traben-Trarbach in the beautiful Moselle
valley in Germany and spend a morning in our German partner school, the Gymnasium
Traben-Trarbach. This year there will be an exchange for Years 9 and 10 with the GTT.
Last year’s Key Stage 5 trip to Berlin was a huge success.
The International Schools Award
The school was given this prestigious award in August 2008.
The Comenius Project
We are currently working with three other schools in Germany, Traben-Trarbach, France,
Valentigney, and Italy, Rome, over a two year period to develop a cross-curricular project
in Art, Performing Arts and Music.
We introduced the IB in September 2007, to “ab initio” level in Spanish, Standard
and Higher Levels in French and German. Year 12 and 13 are also currently
following the Edexcel A Level course in French and German.
The Modern Languages curriculum reflects the area’s awareness of the National
Curriculum, the GCSE courses and Key Stage 5 course requirements. At all stages
equal emphasis is placed on the teaching and testing of the four skill areas and a
clear assessment for learning programme has been established.
All lessons last 60 minutes and the time allocation for modern languages in
2006/2007 is as follows: (based on a fortnightly timetable)
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Year 12
Year 13
3 lessons for each language
2 lessons for French, German or Spanish
5 lessons for French and German (Spanish will be carried to Year 9
next year)
5 lessons for the chosen language
5 lessons for the chosen language
10 lessons for each AS Level plus 1-2 assistant lessons
4 lessons at IB plus 1-2 assistant lessons
8 lessons for each A2 Level plus 1-2 assistant lessons
6 lessons at IB plus 1-2 assistant lessons
For French, ‘Encore Tricolore’ is used and for German, ‘Auf Deutsch’. For
Spanish, ‘Caminos’ is used. For both GCSE and A Level the Edexcel syllabus is
followed.
The aims of the area are:
1.
To develop the students’ ability to use the language effectively for the
purpose of practical communication in order to cope linguistically within
defined limits in French, German and Spanish speaking countries.
2.
To form a sound basis of the skills, language and attitude required for
further work, study and leisure and to encourage a desire to use the acquired
skills.
3.
To offer insights and understanding into the culture and understanding of
French, German and Spanish speaking countries and to help students
appreciate the way of life, interests and customs of French, German and
Spanish people of their own age.
4.
To develop an awareness of the nature of language and language learning
and to encourage accuracy in both spoken and written forms of the
language.
5.
To provide enjoyment and intellectual stimulation.
6.
To encourage positive attitudes to foreign language learning.
7.
To promote learning skills of a more general application e.g. analysis,
memorising, drawing of inferences and conclusions, experimental and
autonomous learning, problem solving.
8.
To encourage every student to realise her full potential.
9.
To comply with the requirements and demands of the National Curriculum
and the examination boards.
10.
To address cross-curricular issues and skills and vocational themes.