Overview
We are proud that our Modern Foreign Languages faculty offers three different languages at all key stages. All students at Lymm High School learn French in Year 7 and the vast majority will then progress to German or Spanish from Year 8. Students work hard to develop communication skills, and to master the basic linguistic structures of the various languages. With a number of students beginning a language for the first time, we are delighted that our students make such excellent progress in two languages at KS3.
In Year 9, students work hard to broaden their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar and, in Years 10 and 11, students use this improved knowledge to help them prepare for their final GCSE exams. KS4 students may take two languages of French, German, or Spanish to GCSE level, following the AQA exam specification.
In the Sixth Form (Key Stage 5), students are offered A-level courses in German, French and Spanish following the AQA (French and Spanish) and Eduqas (German) specifications. Students build on the knowledge and skills acquired at GCSE, looking at contemporary themes such as the media, culture, health, technology, and societal issues. This challenging course allows students to become truly fluent in a language, expressing themselves in written essays and in spoken conversations. Students also delve deeper into the languages’ cultures by studying a piece of literature and film; recent topics have included ‘Los Ocho Apellidos Vascos’, ‘La Haine’, ‘Das Leben der Anderen’, ‘La Casa de Bernada Alba’ by Lorca, ‘Kiffe kiffe demain’ by Faïza Guène and ‘Der Vorleser’ by Schlink. Students also have the opportunity to choose an area of the country’s culture/language/history which they will research independently as a project for their final oral exam. Students who study a language at A-Level will benefit from individual or paired sessions with a native speaker on a weekly basis. This helps develop confidence and pronunciation, and improves cultural awareness.
Educational visits abroad provide a number of opportunities for students to use their excellent language skills. We have regular exchanges with our partner school in Spain. We also have a very popular trips to Berlin and Paris for Year 9-12 students who are studying German or French. We are planning more exciting opportunities for the future, and we look forward to seeing our young linguists enjoying the culture (as well as the language) of our European neighbours’ countries.
You can find more information on our languages subjects by clicking on the links below.
Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition
You can view Lymm High’s winning entries to the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition by clicking here. The complete MTOT Anthology has been uploaded to the MTOT site where it can be viewed and downloaded.