At Heath Mount, we want pupils’ experience of language-learning to be fun, stimulating and enjoyable, so they develop a desire to explore, travel and learn about new languages and cultures. Aside from the obvious cultural, employment and travel opportunities, studies show that speaking languages is a great asset to the cognitive process. Pupils literally become smarter. Those who study languages score better on standardised tests, particularly in the categories of maths, reading, and vocabulary. Multitasking skills are strengthened as pupils become better at switching between two systems of speech, writing, and structure. Memory and decision-making skills also improve.
French
French is always taught by specialist staff, and we start by building a sound platform of linguistic skills from the very early age of 3. In Year 5 we set children so that they learn at the right pace. Pupils are immersed into the French language and culture through games, stories, role-play, songs and other interactive activities. We use a variety of fun interactive resources to ensure that equal emphasis is given to the four skill areas; Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. We adopt a variety of methods to suit the preferred learning styles of pupils and to ensure that all children engage and participate, with spoken French being used as much as possible in the classroom.
To see the Curriculum Map for French for the Lent Term please Click Here
Latin
"Latin is a language, as dead as dead can be, first it killed the Romans and now it’s killing me! Salvete omnes!" Latin may be considered a 'dead language' but it is still very much alive as the root language for all Romance languages and most Indo-European languages. Indeed, more than 65% of English words come from Latin. Latin is offered as an option to pupils from Year 6. Learning the grammatical structure of Latin gives them a huge advantage in learning other inflected languages and pupils see immediate benefits to their spoken and written English. Children gain an expanded vocabulary and an understanding of word formation that can help even with unfamiliar words - especially useful in the fields of medicine and law. Latin is required for most scholarship applications and signifies a rigorous scholarly ability that is valued highly among secondary schools.
To View our Latin Curriculum Map for the LentTerm Click Here
Spanish
Spanish is taught weekly to all pupils from Year 3-5 by a specialist teacher. A rewarding, rich language it is spoken by 426 million people around the world and is the official language in 21 different countries. After Mandarin, it is the world's second most spoken language and the second most used internationally. From Year 6, pupils can opt to continue Spanish (or start Latin) in addition to their French lessons, increasing to two lessons a week and homework. Year 2 pupils are invited to join Spanish Club with a member of our MFL team prior to starting Spanish lessons in Year 3.
To see the Curriculum Map for Spanish for the Lent Term Click Here
