The challenge | There was a good uptake of MFL at Key Stage 4 where languages were optional but numbers fell dramatically at Key Stage 5.

The method

• New extracurricular offerings included: theatre trips, Film Day at the BFI Southbank Education, Film Club, gastronomy events and cultural sessions

• Residential Trips to Spain and France were introduced

• Gifted and Talented Key Stage 4 students spent a weekend at Cambridge University learning about MFL

• A Flash writing competition was introduced for Key Stage 3 and 4 students

• Year 12 students attended the Languages Day at Oxford University

• Students in Key Stage 5 were involved in the Language Leaders Club

THE IMPACT | The Language Experts’ Club, a group of Year 11 students who were considering taking Spanish at A level, proved to be a great success, with numbers growing steadily since it started. This led to a dramatic increase of over 100% in both Spanish and French Year 12 applications. There was also an increase in the Key Stage 4 cohort: 80 applications in Spanish (69 in 2015/2016) and 47 in French (42 in 2015/2017). All the new initiatives made MFL a very visible department in the school.

Contact | Mrs Sarah Ruiz or Mrs Angustias Estrella at the MFL department via reception@davenant.org