Modern Foreign Languages

Our vision in MFL is to provide our pupils with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures and to furnish them with the Core skills required to make their way in an increasingly global workforce.

In addition, as a Rights Respecting School, we believe that an appreciation of other languages and cultures helps to engender tolerance and understanding amongst our pupils. 

At Tile Cross, we are proud to promote the importance of language learning with over 30 languages being spoken by both pupils and staff.

In years 7, 8 and 9, pupils are taught French or Spanish.  Pupils learn increasingly complex vocabulary and phrases which will equip them to cope with real life situations in Francophone and Hispanic countries and they will also come to understand how history has influenced the linguistic map. These foundation years serve as a springboard to further study if desired at KS4 when pupils can hone their subject knowledge and expertise and exercise their creativity and independence.

We have included the study of Latin in recent years with the intention of introducing pupils to the roots of many European languages and to enhance their cultural capital further by examining the legacy left by the ancient world.  We are keen for pupils to appreciate the power and complexity of language and to be able to showcase their understanding of language development. In addition to appreciating ancient texts, we want pupils to expand their vocabulary in English by using Latin derivatives in their essay writing. Latin builds familiarity with how English words are formed from prefixes, base words, and suffixes.

At present, at KS4, pupils opt to study French or Spanish. With demands on curriculum time, Latin, Arabic, Polish and Urdu will be offered as extra-curricular enrichment subjects al in the future.

In French and Spanish, we follow the Edexcel Specifications and cover the five key areas of:  Identity and Culture; Local Area, Holiday and Travel; School; Future Aspirations, Study and Work and International and Global dimension.

For Latin, we adhere to the OCR specification for Entry Level and GCSE Latin, which incorporates translation skills, the study of classical literature and Roman history.

We also encourage pupils to seek accreditation in their home languages where possible and provide them with in-house support or individual tuition from outside language agencies to ensure the greatest success.  Pupils have gained qualifications in Arabic, Bengali, Dutch, Italian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi and Welsh.

We are delighted to have been reaccredited with the International School Award until 2022 in recognition of our wide-ranging linguistic and cultural projects and as such, encourage all our pupils to correspond with a variety of foreign pupils and to participate in educational visits abroad and the many projects organised by our staff.