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About the case study

This is a specialist language college, committed to giving students the opportunity to study at least two languages. It uses the ABC practical languages course to give a more vocational focus to the study of languages for some students.

The school

Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley, Yorkshire, is an 11-18 mixed comprehensive with 1,375 students on roll. The school has a semi-rural, urban fringe catchment area. Approximately 10 per cent of the students have special educational needs without statements. The school is a specialist language college, with an inclusive overall philosophy with regards to other languages and cultures:

Although our students are predominantly drawn from white monolingual communities, we are preparing them to be citizens of a multiracial, multicultural, multilingual society, in which awareness of, respect for and interest in other cultures will be vital, and the ability to communicate with speakers of other languages a much valued skill.

(Prince Henry’s Grammar School prospectus 2002)

The modern foreign language entitlement area

Modern foreign languages play an important role in overall curriculum provision. In key stage 3 all students study either French or German from year 7 and start a second language, Spanish, in year 8. In key stage 4 pupils continue to study one language to GCSE and another to a full GCSE, a GCSE short course or the ABC practical languages course (either preliminary or intermediate). The ABC course is offered to those pupils for whom it is felt that a more vocational course is appropriate. Students can also begin a new language at key stage 4 and there are opportunities to study Italian and Mandarin Chinese.

Use of the ABC practical languages course

The school has offered the ABC course for two years. It is allocated two 45-minute periods each week. The course covers all four language skills and a range of practical topics based on a mix of social and business contexts. The tasks are externally set and internally assessed. Students are assessed when they are ready.

Students find the course motivating and are equipped with a range of language skills. The course provides opportunities to use ICT to support learning and can be tailored to suit students’ needs in the choice of tasks and settings that have a more adult and work-related flavour. The continuous assessment provides short-term objectives for students who find a terminal examination less appropriate.

The course provides progression routes to post-16 study, where many students follow a VCE in leisure and tourism or business and continue to study a language as part of the qualification.

The ABC course can provide progression from key stage 3 or can be used for the study of a language started at key stage 4. It covers a range of levels and, while placing languages in a vocational context, delivers the requirements of the modern foreign languages programme of study that will be non-statutory guidance for key stage 4 from 2004.

Also see

> Entitlement areas

> Pace and progression

> Using GCSEs in vocational subjects within the key stage 4 curriculum

Case studies

> Developing a key stage 4 curriculum

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Page updated: 12 June 2008
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