The MFL department is proud to offer all students the choice of French, German or Spanish through to GCSE.
Whatever they choose, our linguists learn to listen, speak, read and write confidently as they discover more about the cultures of the countries where their chosen language is spoken.
KS3 topics include regional food, film and television and planning a trip to Paris. In KS4, learners build on their knowledge to tackle topics such as the environment, having their say on school rules and learning about different cultural festivals. They are well prepared for future study either in their chosen language or other subjects owing to their highly-valued communication skills. Success in a language can lead to many exciting careers including subtitling, interpreting, marketing and media.
Alongside their studies, students are able to enjoy a range of extra curricular activities. We held a very successful Mandarin day, where Year 7 and 8 students learned about Chinese calligraphy and opera, had an introduction to Mandarin characters and even had a go at some maths in Mandarin. Years 9 and 10 were visited by a UEA professor to have a go at subtitling a video, while Year 11 tried their hand at some A-Level languages on a visit to East Norfolk Sixth Form.
Over the course of the year the department organises events to celebrate special occasions like European Day of Languages, Day of the Dead and Bastille Day. Students also practice their writing skills by sending Christmas cards to European royals and exchanging messages with pen pals, as well as testing their knowledge in our very competitive half-termly vocabulary competition. We are also preparing to make our first ever entries to the UK Linguistics Olympiad, which will be a wonderful experience.
Previous trips to Münster and Madrid have given students the opportunity to immerse themselves in culture and put their language skills to the test in a real-life situation.
Students who speak another language at home may also be able to sit a GCSE in their home language – which the MFL department will happily organise.
We are very proud of all our linguists here at ODA and please do not hesitate to contact us to find out more about studying languages at Denes.