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Ryton Comprehensive School has an inclusive philosophy with regard to languages and cultures. Its modern foreign language provision is based on three considerations: what students will find interesting, what they are capable of achieving, and what they might find useful later in life. Teachers try to achieve the school’s targets for take-up in languages while at the same time allowing students to make a free choice wherever possible.

About the school

Ryton Comprehensive School is an 11–18 mixed comprehensive with 1,300 students, including 200 in the sixth form. It is a specialist language college. The school is situated in a small town in the north east of England and draws students from the town and its surrounding area. Approximately five per cent of the students have special educational needs without statements.

The modern foreign language entitlement area

Modern foreign language provision begins in key stage 2. All year 6 students in Ryton’s feeder primary schools are taught one timetabled lesson of French per week. They record their progress using the European Language Portfolio. At the end of year 6 students choose the two languages they will study in key stage 3. French can be their first or second language.

In key stage 3, all students continue to learn French and start to learn either German or Spanish. They continue to use their portfolio to record their achievements and progress. In year 8 a group of students have the opportunity to study Japanese in lunchtime and twilight sessions. A small group of students with special educational needs study only French from year 8 onwards and have access to learning support.

In key stage 4 nearly all students study their first foreign language to GCSE. Most students also have a timetabled lesson in a second foreign language, which can be topped up with one of the timetabled options. There is a range of language courses available. Students can:

• continue to study the second foreign language they started in key stage 3 up to GCSE, as one of their timetabled options
• continue their study of Japanese to GCSE or choose Italian as a new language (also to GCSE) as one of their timetabled options
• supplement their compulsory second language lesson with twilight sessions to study any of the languages offered to GCSE (this leaves students free to choose another subject from the timetabled options)
• study their second foreign language for one lesson a week and take the OCR Entry level certificate in business language competence examination in February of year 11.

Although the groups following a course leading to the OCR certificate in business language competence are composed of students who have chosen not to study a second foreign language to GCSE and do include some more reluctant learners, many students see this course as being grown-up and relevant to their future needs.

Some of key stage 4 students likely to have needed learning support in key stage 3 and for whom GCSE is an inappropriate goal follow a course in French that leads to an AQA Entry level qualification. The school uses the AQA Unit Award Scheme to provide interim accreditation of these students’ achievements. A small number of other students on an alternative programme, partly timetabled at a local college, also study only French.

Ryton Comprehensive School thus offers a range of courses and languages in key stage 4, covering all abilities and interests. Students and parents are given full information about what the school offers and options in second foreign language lessons are discussed in year 9 to ensure that all students are quite clear about their choices.

Modern foreign languages post 16

All post-16 students who have studied a language to GCSE can continue this language to GCE AS/A level. There are also ab initio courses in the sixth form for GCSE Italian and Japanese (the latter leading to the WJEC level 1 certificate). Students who have followed the certificate in business language competence course in key stage 4 can continue their study to a higher level in year 12.

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Page updated: 12 June 2008
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