“To learn a new language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.”

KS4 Specification

Legacy AQA GCSE French and Spanish (Year 11)
New Edexcel GCSE French and Spanish (Year 10)

National Curriculum

Gladesmore Community School prides ourselves on delivering the breadth and ambition of the National Curriculum.

Curriculum Intent

Mission

Our approach to languages at Gladesmore reflects the multiculturalism and diversity of our students. Languages are an inherent part of our school community, with more than 80 languages spoken across our student body. Our mission is to foster this linguistic talent by providing a curriculum that is representative and inclusive, honouring the diverse backgrounds of our students. We are committed to providing a comprehensive language education that seeks to inspire and equip students for linguistic skills that go beyond the GCSE qualification and prepares them for real-world experience in an ever-evolving, globalised economy.

Implementation

Our curriculum is spiralled through the key stages to allow students to maximise attainment by developing their language skills through re-visiting themes, whilst building on a foundation of familiar language. At lesson-level the curriculum is implemented holistically, embedding the new Spanish and French GCSE exam skills throughout Key Stage 3. 

We teach pupils to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity; our phonics-based approach, delivered through modelled speaking activities ensures that students are continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation. In line with our inclusive mission, we ensure that students are exposed to a variety of accents and dialects from Francophone and Hispanophone countries.

Whilst our core vocabulary and grammatical skills are based on the Pearson AQA textbooks for our current Year 11 and Pearson Edexcel for our Year 10, we strive to introduce cultural learning through authentic materials from the target language. 

Inclusivity

Our ‘Languages for all’ policy ensures that all students receive language education throughout Key Stage 3. This includes full time provision for our Foundation group. We are committed to an inclusive curriculum that provides equal opportunities to all our students, regardless of ability. This is demonstrated by the recent development of our Foundation scheme of work, which reflects our mainstream curriculum, introducing the same topics with more accessible language. We give pupils the knowledge, understanding and skills to progress onto the next stage of their education, irrespective of their prior attainment or background. Beyond our core taught languages: French and Spanish, we embrace all languages spoken by our students, whether or not they are exam languages.  Under our ‘Community Languages’ scheme we aim to give students opportunities to learn or enhance their existing language skills.

Aspiration

At Gladesmore we understand that we are educating students to enter the world of global work so learning includes relevant real-world topics and issues which gradually introduces increasingly complex levels of language to stretch and challenge students. We do regular project work to develop independent skills based on Project Based Learning and creative activities. We explore social issues, integrating cross-curricular themes such as social justice and the environment, so students fully understand the cultural context of our taught languages and are able to apply this knowledge to their language work. The team’s enthusiasm for languages leads to learning about the real application of languages in the workplace and in day to day life. 

The Language Faculty leads a range of visits in London, including the BFI KS3 and KS4 film days and visits our local area to explore the cultures within Tottenham such as the vibrant Latin American cafés in Seven Sisters. On these visits, our students are able to order traditional food and practise their language skills. We provide students with a range of enrichment opportunities to help them become responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to society. 

Curriculum Summary

 Curriculum Enhancement