Why Study French?
French is the first or second language in more than 40 countries and is spoken by 125 million people around the world. Other than English, it is the only language which is spoken on every continent.
In a multicultural world, learning a foreign language, such as French, improves career prospects, facilitates travel, and opens the door to new cultures, enabling learners to enhance their communication skills, develop new interests and form intercultural social connections. Learning languages also brings many cognitive benefits, fostering creativity, developing attention span, and improving multi-tasking.
The purpose of studying French at The Canterbury Academy is…
- To equip students with the ability to understand, speak, read, and write French.
- To develop fluency in French for practical communication in various situations.
- To gain insight into French culture, customs, and society through language learning, enhancing understanding of diverse perspectives and building intercultural competence.
- To foster cross-cultural understanding by providing learners with the tools to communicate with French speakers.
- To develop cognitive skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and memory enhancement through language acquisition.
Recommended Reading
See our learning journey
French Roadmap
Our French course is designed to foster curiosity and deepen understanding of the Francophone world, equipping learners with the tools they need to communicate for practical purposes in the four skills of reading, listening, writing, and speaking.
Students learn to understand and provide information and opinions about key themes relating to their own experiences and those of other people, including people in communities where French is spoken. We begin with topics familiar to learners, including family and friends, free-time activities, school, and technology in everyday life, before introducing subjects such as jobs and future ambitions, social and global issues, and life in French-speaking communities. Key pillars of our approach are encouraging maximum exposure and use of the target language and building upon our knowledge whilst constantly reinforcing and retrieving prior learning.
Learners are assessed in every lesson using a range of techniques, whilst formal assessment takes place at the end of each module, when at least three of the four skills are tested.
Why Study Spanish?
With 486 million native speakers, Spanish is the second most spoken language worldwide. That means a wealth of opportunities and connections for our students to create. Studying a second language has a positive impact on your memory, and it broadens your horizons in regard to travel and work. Our Spanish course is aimed at students of all abilities.
The purpose of studying Spanish at The Canterbury Academy is…
- Improved cultural capital.
- Improved knowledge of English grammar.
- Improved listening skills.
- Linguists are known for their great problem-solving skills.
- Improved opportunities after school.
Recommended Reading
See our learning journey
Spanish Roadmap
Year 7
- Topic 1 – My life
- Topic 2 – My free time
- Topic 3 – My school
- Topic 4 – My friends and family
Year 8
- Topic 1 – My holidays
- Topic 2 – My choices
- Topic 3 – My food choices
- Topic 4 – My city
Year 9
- Topic 1 – Free time activities
- Topic 2 Career choices and future ambitions
- Topic 3 – Town and environment
Meet the MFL Department
| Miss S Gonzalez | Teacher of MFL – Director of Teaching and Learning – MFL |
| Mrs C Crane | Teacher of MFL – Executive Vice Principal |
| Mrs S Pereira | EAL Lead and Kent Language School |
| Mr P Pontone | Head of French |
| Mr T Jarmin | Teacher of French |
| Mrs C Istocescu | Head of Spanish |
| Ms L McCormack | Bertha Earth Coordinator |
Courses offered at KS4 and KS5
GCSE
- AQA GCSE French
- AQA GCSE Spanish
Thanks to our exciting partnership with the Kent Language School, The Canterbury Academy offers language courses to GCSE level in a wide range of languages, including tailored support for students to take qualifications in heritage languages spoken at home and in the community.
Our experienced native-speaker tutors provide bespoke tuition in:
- Arabic
- Chinese Cantonese
- Chinese Mandarin
- German
- Greek
- Italian
- Japanese
- Persian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Turkish
A Level
In our increasingly interconnected, globalised world, the ability to speak another language opens the door to wider academic and professional opportunities. Learning a foreign language improves career prospects, facilitates travel, and enables the discovery of diverse cultures and communities.
Our A Level courses focus on how societies have been shaped socially and culturally, highlighting how these continue to develop and evolve. In the first year, aspects of the social context are studied, together with elements of the artistic life in target-language speaking countries. In the second year, further aspects of the social background are covered, this time focusing on issues such as life for those on the margins of society, in addition to examining the positive influences that diversity brings. Topics covered include education and work, music and festivals, art, changes in society, gender equality, immigration, history, and political trends. In addition, students study two literary works – one book and one film – analysing and responding critically in writing to these in their chosen language.
Our unique Language Hub brings together all our Sixth Form linguists once a fortnight to work on joint projects and activities related to languages, in addition to organising regular trips and cultural experiences both in the UK and abroad.
Working in partnership with the Kent Language School, The Canterbury Academy offers A Level language courses in a wide range of languages, including tailored support for students to take A Level qualifications in heritage languages spoken at home and in the community.
Our experienced native-speaker tutors deliver A Level courses in:
- Chinese Cantonese
- Chinese Mandarin
- French
- German
- Greek
- Italian
- Japanese
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Spanish
- Turkish