Languages

Posted: February 5, 2011

Subject Leader

Miss Bolton was born in Liverpool and supports Everton Football Club. She has always had a love of Languages having studied French, Spanish, German and Latin at school. Studying languages at University gave her the opportunity to live for a year in Murcia, Spain. After University she moved to Kent for 2 years and then to Oxford for 8 years.A Modern Languages and English graduate from Staffordshire University; she became a teacher only a few years ago having first made a career in Marketing when she lived in Kent and Oxford. She then went on to travel around the world for a year before deciding to become a teacher. Working at Stretford High is her second teaching post in the North West as she previously worked as a Languages teacher in Liverpool. It could have all been so different though as she auditioned for ‘Fame Academy’ in 2003 but unfortunately didn’t get a call back!!!!

Languages Team

Mr Miya is the Urdu teacher at Stretford high school. He started teaching Urdu at Stretford High School in September 2003. He graduated from The Language & Culture Institute in 2001 and worked in 3 primary schools as a bilingual assistant until July 2003. He loves teaching at Stretford High School as he was a former student of the school, he helps British born Asian students to understand Urdu language and culture. As well as teaching Urdu to students of Key Stage 3 & 4 he also teaches in 3 of our feeder primary schools. For the last 2 years the Urdu students have done really well and have achieved their best ever results.

Mrs Avison teaches mainly French (her mother tongue) and also some Spanish. She thinks that it is vital our young students speak a foreign language, did you know that 75% of the world’s population don’t speak English at all and 1 in 5 British companies is losing business because of language barriers! So to be successful, learn a language before it is too late!

Miss Genovese is a teacher of MFL and Director of SWAN. She started at Stretford High in September 2008 and has really enjoyed working in the MFL department. Languages are a big passion of hers. She speaks Spanish and French and has some Italian knowledge as well, as she was brought up in Italy until she was seven. She studied International Business Studies with Spanish at Liverpool John Moores University and this gave her the opportunity to live in Spain for a year, where she went to university and also did a placement at a company doing market research. After university Miss Genovese worked for relaction companies in London before moving to Manchester herself and training to become a teacher.  Having all her family in London, Miss Genovese is not only an Arsenal fan, but also spends lots of time in London.
Mrs Reynolds…
Mrs Brosed graduated in English Studies at the Universidad de Zaragoza in Spain and trained as a teacher at the same university. She teaches Spanish (her mother tongue) at SHS and also taught in the Saturday School until 2006. She supports and teaches in several of our feeder primary schools and is involved in the Six Schools Project.

Curriculum

The Department of Modern Languages offers students of all abilities a wide range of opportunities.  We aim to offer all pupils the opportunity to study foreign languages as an enjoyable experience and a worthwhile challenge and to have some experience of learning at least another two languages.

The modern foreign languages department offers insights into languages, people and cultures other than their own to help pupils gain a more international outlook which is particularly important in a multi-racial society

There are opportunities for pupils to communicate with native speakers of other languages, in school and abroad, orally and written throughout the school year. We provide opportunities for pupils to achieve their full potential in language learning and to develop the following specific linguistic skills:

  • understanding of the spoken language at a level appropriate to the pupil’s ability and experience
  • easily comprehensible oral expression with correct pronunciation
  • ability to read the written language with understanding
  • ability to write comprehensibly on subjects within their linguistic experience.

Key Stage 3

In  Year 7 students study either Spanish or French.  In year 8 students are offered the opportunity to take up Urdu.

In Key Stage 3 (Years 7-9 ) students learn vocabulary and structures for different topics. They use these in the four skill areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. They begin to recognise language patterns and to identify keywords and phrases. They also begin to build up information into sentences and paragraphs. They learn to use bilingual dictionaries.

In Y9 some students complete an NVQ in International Business Communications Qualification in either French or Spanish at Level 1

Students are continuously assessed throughout the year in order to evaluate their progress through the National Curriculum levels. The grouping of all students is regularly reviewed by teachers.

Key Stage 3 details.

Key Stage 4

In Key Stage 4 (year 10 & 11) student either study GCSE Spanish / French, Urdu, or IBC NVQ Level 1 French / Spanish.

Key Stage 4 details.

The Granada Project

The MFL team have been building close links with a school in Spain, for more details head over to our community section.