Head of Department: Mr L Disney

 

Languages Curriculum Overview

“The limits of my language are the limits of my world​” -   Ludwig Wittgenstein 1889–1951

In the Languages department at TKASA, our mantra is “be bold, and make mistakes”.
We want to train linguists who are confident communicators, so that they can be resilient, thrive when faced with challenges and most importantly, make friends and connections across borders and cultures. We truly believe that languages are for everyone, and we aim for students to become fully acquainted not only with the language itself but the diversity of different peoples around the world and the opportunities which speaking another language can offer.
Even if languages aren’t part of your child’s career plan, learning a language is an ideal way to develop ‘soft skills’ such as public speaking, confidence and coping with the unexpected.

Curriculum Overview

At TKASA every Key Stage 3 student is a dual linguist, learning French and Spanish. Our rich Languages curriculum combines the key pillars of vocabulary, grammar and phonics with a solid understanding of the customs, history and culture of both French- and Spanish-speaking communities from all over the world.

Four lessons every two weeks will focus on French, so that students have a secure foundation for learning another language. In addition they will follow a bespoke Spanish curriculum, designed to take advantage of the similarities between the two languages, so that students can deepen their understanding both deductively and inquisitively.

In Year 9, students will be given the opportunity to continue studying one (or both!) of the languages they have studied at GCSE, and in Year 11 they will experience a taster of studying languages at A Level.

We also offer a range of exciting extracurricular activities to complement students’ classroom study, including cultural opportunities, an overseas visit, and a letter exchange with a partner school in Grenoble, France. GCSE students can also take advantage of tailored support from our passionate and dedicated staff in after school revision sessions.