My aim for the Languages department is to inspire a love of languages both ancient and modern.
At St Faith’s all children learn Spanish from the age of four and the Spanish language is something that we actively seek to integrate into the everyday life of the School; something recognised by the Spanish Embassy during a recent visit. We introduce French into the curriculum in Year 6, which builds on the pupils’ already increasing knowledge of how language works and further broadens their horizons.
I believe that the academic discipline of modern languages is underpinned by Classics, with Latin from Year 5 serving to sharpen powers of logic and discrimination and increase all-round linguistic competence. Knowledge of ancient civilizations gives depth and perspective to the discussion of contemporary issues.
Specialist teaching mixes published resources with original in-house materials to ensure tailored and creative provision for all. Residential trips to Salamanca in Spain and Rome and Pompeii in Italy take learning beyond the classroom and offer exciting opportunities for first-hand experience and adventure.
Below gives a brief idea of what our Languages curriculum includes:
- Year 3 Describe animals and people in greater detail in Spanish, introduce basic grammar points.
- Year 4 Talk about ‘where I live’ and learn basic Maths in Spanish
- Year 5 Start of the Cambridge Latin Course and a specialised ‘Roman’ Enrichment Day.
- Year 6 Use irregular verbs and extend language skills.
- Year 7 Describe yourself and family, talking about hobbies and ‘where I live’ in French. Week-long trip to Spain during the summer term Enrichment Week
- Year 8 Culmination of the Cambridge Latin Course ending with a week-long trip to Rome and Pompeii
Stephanie O’Reilly
Head of Modern and Classical Languages
