Modern Foreign Languages at James Bateman Junior High School
Modern Foreign Languages……open doors to the world.
Welcome to the Modern Foreign Language department. At James Bateman Junior High we believe the study of a Modern Foreign Language provides an important role in your child’s education and life.
Throughout both KS2 and KS3 there is a firm commitment to provide the resources that will enable and encourage young learners to develop and embed learning. There are opportunities to develop and improve language skills, along with the developing dictionary skills that will lay the foundations for further success at GCSE in KS4.
The MFL Department firmly believes in developing young minds and offering structured opportunities for James Bateman Junior High pupils to shape their learning experience. We believe this will have a significant and effective impact on increasing your child’s success and developing them to become effective citizens in the wider community.
Being able to communicate in a Modern Foreign Language plays a major role in widening our horizons and we aim to make this journey of learning at James Bateman Junior High the most rewarding we possibly can.
“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
“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.” – Frank Smith
“Those who know nothing of foreign languages know nothing of their own.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
At James Bateman Junior High, the learning journey through MFL starts in Y5 with 1 hour per week of French. The curriculum seeks to reinforce and extend structures, topics and skills which have been introduced in the First Schools.
When pupils progress up to Y6 they are taught by MFL specialists to help further develop their knowledge and understanding.
In Y7, pupils in sets 1 and 2 have two hours of German a week. Although this is a new language pupils are encouraged to make comparisons with and use the skills they have already developed in KS2. Those in sets 3 and 4 continue with one lesson of French per week. During this time pupils will gain the confidence, knowledge, skills and understanding to prepare them for GCSE in KS4.
All pupils in Year 8 currently study German; sets 1 and 2 for 2 lessons a week and sets 3 and 4 for 1 lesson a week. The emphasis is on strategies to aid understanding and adapting known language to apply to new situations.