Modern Foreign Languages at PACA

At PACA, our French and Spanish curriculum is designed to develop confident, curious and culturally aware linguists. Through a carefully sequenced journey from Year 7 to Year 11, students build the knowledge, skills and cultural understanding needed to communicate effectively and to appreciate the Francophone and Hispanic worlds.

Our Learning Journey in MFL

Across French and Spanish, students will:

• Develop an appreciation of Francophone and Hispanic cultures, recognising both similarities and differences with their own.

• Use knowledge of spelling patterns and phonics to predict accurate pronunciation.

• Learn and apply core grammatical structures, identifying patterns and rules to understand how each language works.

• Compare the target language with English to deepen understanding of both.

• Recognise and interpret patterns in words, such as verb and adverb endings.

• Apply key grammatical concepts—including tenses, sentence structure and question formation—to communicate clearly in writing and speech.

• Extract and interpret information from spoken and written texts.

• Build extensive vocabulary to discuss themes such as identity, culture, society and the environment.

• Strengthen literacy skills by learning how to structure written work and add detail effectively.

• Form and express personal opinions with increasing accuracy and nuance.

You can explore our full curriculum intent and view our French and Spanish curriculum maps by year group on our curriculum page.

Curriculum Overview by Year Group

Year 7 – Foundations of Language Learning

Students begin their linguistic journey by developing core skills in:

• Introductions and basic personal descriptions of self & family

• School life and jobs

• Hobbies and free time activities

• Basic grammar & phonics including present tense, adjective agreement and question forms

• Cultural exploration of French- and Spanish-speaking countries

Year 8 – Building Confidence and Complexity

Students broaden their communication skills through:

• Talking about where they live and their local area

• Holidays and travel 

• Food & lifestyles

• Developing grammar & phonics with a focus on the present, past and future tenses

• Cultural exploration of French- and Spanish-speaking countries

   

Year 9 – Securing Key Concepts and Extending Expression

Students prepare for GCSE-style learning by:

• Expressing detailed personal descriptions and relationships

• Exploring free time activities 

• Discussing life at school 

• Talking about Tourism & travel and eating habits

• Deepening understanding of grammar including three tenses

• Responding to longer listening and reading texts

• Producing extended spoken and written work with opinions and justification

Year 10 – GCSE Application and Development

Students apply their knowledge across GCSE themes:

• People & Lifestyle: Healthy lifestyle & living; Education

• Popular Culture: Customs, festivals and celebrations; Celebrity culture

• Communication & the world around us: Media and technology; Where people live 

• Building  on speaking confidence through role‑plays, photo cards and conversations

• Strengthening writing across multiple tenses and more complex structures

• Tackling authentic texts and real‑world language

• Enhanced translation skills and exam-style practice across all four skills

• Applying cultural knowledge to deepen understanding and enrich communication

Year 11 – Mastery, Fluency and Exam Readiness

Students consolidate their learning through:

• People & Lifestyle: Identity and relationships with others. Work and employment

• Popular Culture: Free Time and Holidays

• Communication & the world around us: the environment

• Revisiting all major themes with focused revision strategies

• Refining speaking confidence through role‑plays, photo cards and conversations

• Strengthening writing across multiple tenses and more complex structures

• Tackling authentic texts and real‑world language

• Enhanced translation skills and exam-style practice across all four skills

• Applying cultural knowledge to deepen understanding and enrich communication

Curriculum map and intent are available here
GCSE French specification is here
GCSE Spanish specification is here

Beyond the Classroom

Every autumn, the MFL department offers a residential trip to either France or Spain for Year 11 and selected Year 10 students.

• Our most recent trip was to Barcelona 2025 – highlights can be viewed on our news page.

• The next trip will be to Paris 2026, giving students an opportunity to immerse themselves in authentic French language and culture.