The Modern Languages Curriculum at The Quest Academy aims to create the very best linguists. We aim to do this by equipping our students with the knowledge, skills and drive to excel in both French and Spanish. This, combined with plenty of opportunities to practice both inside and outside the classroom, ensures students have the confidence and communication skills to not only succeed in languages but in other fields of study. In Modern Languages, we want to provide our students with a range of skills, such as independency and resilience, that will serve them in all aspects of their life. Quality-First teaching ensures that from Year 7, our students are challenged at all stages of their journey with us and encouraged to become self-sufficient learners and engage with activities that stimulate their curiosity.

Through our skill-rich curriculum, built upon the principles of retrieval practice and interleaving, we work to ensure our students have a sound understanding of French or Spanish grammar. Students are not only expected to use this grammar in the context in which it was introduced but also challenged to apply it in new contexts. New vocabulary, syntax and grammar are taught alongside their English or native language equivalent to enable all students equal opportunity to access and master the language. All students, by the end of KS4, are able to understand and use a minimum of three tenses confidently.

Being a confident linguist is not only achieved through a high command of vocabulary and grammar but also entails an understanding and appreciation of the places, people and contexts in which they are spoken. Our student body is incredibly diverse and a better understanding of different cultures and their history will not only bring them closer but also equip them to live in an increasingly multicultural society.

At The Quest Academy, we consider cultural capital to be an intrinsic part of our curriculum and use realia to offer authenticity to the MFL learning experience. Study of foreign language films, music, YouTube videos and texts are all commonplace in the MFL classroom. Students have the option to travel to France early in the academic year and we pride ourselves on not only looking at the cultures of France and Spain but the wider francophone and Hispanic world; as MFL teachers, our role is not only teaching the language but expanding our students’ horizon to the world outside of Croydon.