French and Spanish, both important international languages, are taught at Bethany.  All students learn French from Year 7 (unless they receive full time dyslexia support) and Spanish is introduced to all students in Year 9.  Students are encouraged to continue with a language at GCSE and may opt to study both French and Spanish or choose one.

Resources

We aim to ensure that the library, as well as the classroom, are well stocked with study guides, current articles, magazines, newspapers as well as foreign films.  French and Spanish TV is available in all three language classrooms and the internet is regularly used for updates on current affairs and presentations.

Trips

As a Department we believe in the benefit of language trips and aim to offer a variety of trips to both France and Spain across the year groups.

All Year 7 students have the chance to go on a day trip to Boulogne while students in Years 8 and 9 enjoy a trip to Futuroscope.  From September 2008 Year 9 students will have the option to take part in either a French or Spanish residential trip and these will alternate.  These trips will include language tuition as well as cultural visits.  GCSE and A level students of French are encouraged to take part in long weekends to Lille, with the possibility of staying with French families, while A level students of Spanish enjoy a family based trip to Asturias, in northern Spain, attending lessons every morning in a local language school.

French

Students are set throughout Key Stage 3 and follow the lively Expo course.  Grammar is introduced slowly, the emphasis being on developing understanding and enjoyment of the language.  By the end of Year 9 students have been introduced to three time frames, opinions, conjunctions and can write to GCSE standard.

At GCSE we follow the Metro for AQA (linear) course.  In Year 10, the emphasis is on revising grammatical structures and the further development of writing skills with the aim of completing coursework by the end of the year.  In Year 11 students are examined on their reading, listening and speaking skills.  Their coursework is also submitted that year.  The four skills are equally weighted (25% each).

A level students will be introduced to a new specification from September 2008.  This new specification will be introduced nationwide, the main emphasis being the removal of the coursework element.  Both French and Spanish departments have chosen the AQA course so as to have continuity between GCSE and A level.

Spanish

Students are introduced to Spanish in Year 9 and many choose it as a GCSE option in Year 10 and we follow the Caminos course in Years 9 to 11.  Spanish is a very popular language at Bethany and is available to all students, including those who receive full-time dyslexia support.  Spanish is principally taught by Señorita Romero, Head of Languages.

The GCSE course extends pupils' studies in Year 9, leading to the AQA linear GCSE.  The primary aim of the course is to give students the opportunity to communicate in Spanish using the four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing.  At the end of the course students will sit three papers: Listening, Speaking and Reading and in addition they will produce three short pieces of coursework.  In the listening and reading tests candidates must show that they can understand and respond to the target language.  The speaking test is conducted entirely in Spanish by the teacher.  All candidates must participate in role-plays and general conversations on a broad range of familiar topics and experiences.  They must also give a short presentation on a topic of their choice.  All four skills are equally weighted at 25% of the final mark.

Spanish is a popular A level choice and from 2008 the new AQA course will be introduced.