Would you like to have x-ray vision, telepathy, super speed, infinite memory power, terrific decoding for all complex challenges, indestructible neurons for life, eagle eyes? Would you like to be Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Fantastic 4 all combined? Of course, you would. The secret?

Learn languages!

One will take you very far, two will blow your mind, three will make you a trilingual and four will make you a polyglot (and what we think - a person with superpowers and enhanced human capacities!).

“The acquisition of a language is doubtless the greatest intellectual feat any one of us is ever required to perform” (Bloomfield).

One will take you very far, two will blow your mind, three will make you a trilingual and four will make you a polyglot (a person who knows and is able to use several languages).

Our aim is to ignite curiosity and passion for language learning. This curiosity will inspire students to truly immerse themselves in both the language and culture. With language and culture being inextricable, through learning a language, our students gain cultural awareness and sensitivity, which are vital in order to foster a tolerant society. Languages are omnipresent, they complement other subjects as well as one’s own personal interests and aspirations.

At SNS we equip students with the skills and strategies required to approach language-learning, whether they continue with the language learnt at school, or decide to study another later in life.

A language opens up entire continents. Go and explore other languages, come back and reflect on your own.

“Without language, one cannot talk to people and understand them; one cannot share their hopes and aspirations, grasp their history, appreciate their poetry, or savour their songs.” Nelson Mandela

Still unsure of the importance of languages? Watch this Ted Talk and you'll be convinced!

French at Key Stage 3

Emphasis on listening and speaking. Students learn the language skills they need to understand and produce language for daily life. Likes and dislikes, family, school, local area, city life, food, restaurant language, sports, free time, technology, clothes and fashion. Students also get a core foundation to decode language, grammar and structure their ideas. Students practise and learn skills to be able to get their message across without anxiety about mistakes or excessive attention to linguistic technicalities. Communicating and connecting with the culture are prime pursuits. Students progress to mastery of the foundation beginner’s level.

Year 7 curriculum map | Year 8 curriculum map
Year 7 assessment grid | Year 8 assessment grid

French at Key Stage 4

Emphasis on the four core skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Student progress to mastery of the foundation intermediate level. Students will study the same KS3 topics but with more depth regarding vocabulary and grammar structures. There will be new topics: future careers and the world of work, the environment, healthy life, and gastronomy of different countries. There will be new fascinating linguistic challenges with the study of simple but meaningful literary texts (real extracts from relevant authors) and the study of translation.

Year 9 curriculum map | Year 10 curriculum map | Year 11 curriculum map

French at Key Stage 5

Students who advance to this course have a good foundation and can communicate their ideas by speaking or writing and understanding verbal and written language. They are prepared to have many lessons in the Target Language. The emphasis is on learning, understanding and being able to explain the political, cultural, sociological and historical aspects of the Target Language countries. Students will be able to advance to mastery of the language. Students will be able to spontaneously express relevant ideas about the societies of the Target Language. Students will also have engaged on formal research of a relevant area of the Target Language countries and share their findings following guidance on formal oral-presentation academic protocols. Students will also watch a relevant film and read an influential literary work. They will learn to write a meaningful analysis of these works.

Year 12 curriculum map | Year 13 curriculum map

Enrichment

Specialist teachers visit lessons to teach or lecture students. Students have the opportunity to see the language explained from unusual angles and thought-provoking approaches. European Languages day activities and special lessons. Special creative grammar lessons. Student take over lessons. Iconic music or films lessons to reinforce relevant topics offered in the curriculum. Visits to the French Institute and the Instituto Cervantes in London. Our French pancake lessons are very popular and students get to experience the flavour of French cuisine. Cross-curricular lessons with Music, Art, Science, Geography and History. Cinema trips and plays also feature in our enrichment programme.

Career and future pathways

Jobs directly related to the qualification include:

Jobs where your qualification would be useful include: