Languages

Block 3 students may choose from:

- French
- Spanish
- Russian
- Japanese 

Students coming into Block 3 must opt for two languages. Students must choose at least one of French and/or Spanish when making their options. 

French

The French course is a continuation course for those who feel most comfortable building upon the foundations which are already in place and who wish to take more confident steps towards the French GCSE. The course features a rigorous and comprehensive approach to grammar teaching as well as motivating and challenging topics and tasks, set in authentic contexts. We follow the Expo GCSE Green textbook as a confidence-boosting basis, but then tailor the lessons according to the students’ and teachers’ interests.

Spanish

The Spanish course caters for beginners and for those continuing the language. We use the Claro 1 and 2 textbooks along with numerous online resources to secure solid foundations so that students can start the GCSE course in Block 4 with confidence. 

Russian

A fast-track course is offered in Russian to Block 3 which assumes no prior knowledge of the language. This course is designed for students taking an express route to GCSE in three years and aims to cover all the basics during the first year. We use Na start. Vnimanie. Marsh! all designed by Edexcel exam board. Our teachers also supplement other resources to support the students learning journey.  

Introduction of Japanese BAC

In September 2024, Japanese was introduced in Block 3. Japanese and Russian are taught as introductory courses in Block 3 with Japanese becoming a Bedales Assessed Course (BAC) in Block 4.

Block 3 Japanese will focus on the essentials of communication within the classroom in the first term, before moving onto more general communication essentials and the foundation for the BAC. There will be a strong focus on Japanese culture and students will exchange New Year's and Easter cards with our exchange school in Osaka. 

The Bedales core curriculum requires each student to study for a GCSE in at least one modern language. Students should already have a grounding in the language or languages they plan to study for GCSE before entering Block 4.

In French, Spanish and Russian we follow the GCSE courses where students will take either higher or foundation level exams. Students are set by ability in French and Spanish. In Russian we only have one set per year and as such, it is mixed ability by default.

Japanese is a Bedales Assessed Course and as such is weighted differently to traditional GCSEs with an increased emphasis on speaking. The course covers purposeful language and prepares students to join the Bedales Japan trip or a trip of their own undertaking. Students need to be able to read and write hiragana as a minimum prerequisite for the course. Whilst the course is rigorous, it is not intended to prepare students for A Level.

We believe it is extremely important for students to connect with people in the target language and we are proud to benefit from the British Council’s assistantship programme. Students have lessons in small groups with the assistants once a week. These lessons are valuable in helping build their confidence in speaking in the target language. We also supplement our classroom teaching with activities and material from multiple subscription-based software packages.

We offer trips at the beginning of Block 5 to Girona for Spanish and Avignon for French. We also offer a Russian trip for Blocks 4 and 5 to Estonia every two years. Our MFL GCSE courses give students the confidence they need for travel in a country where the language is spoken, or better still, to continue their study at A Level.

Examining boards

- French and Spanish: AQA
- Russian: Edexcel
- Japanese: BAC

French, Spanish and Russian

In French, Spanish and Russian we examine contemporary cultural, social and political contexts of the countries through a variety of literary texts, newspapers and magazine articles, and films. Students are also given guidance in their personal exploration of the culture and issues of countries where their target language is spoken so they can transfer these skills to their Independent Research Project. We also enrich this academic experience with social events, which in past and present have included, film nights, cafés and trips to the cinema or theatre. Our big languages event of the year is International Day.

 

Japanese and Mandarin Chinese

Students may also choose to have lessons in the above languages at GCSE or A Level. In Chinese Mandarin we offer GCSE and A Level. These subjects are offered by visiting specialists and are charged separately. They should be treated as bolt-on subjects studied in addition to those of the requirements of the Bedales languages curriculum.

Examining Boards

- AQA: French and Spanish
- Edexcel: Russian

Spending time in a country that speaks the target language is a critical part of language learning and exploration of that country’s culture. At Bedales, the Languages department offers a variety of trips that reflect our wide range of languages.  

We have our highly popular and well established yearly French A Level and Enrichment trip to Paris for 6.1 (Year 12) students, and simultaneously in March 2025 we launched our exciting Spanish A Level and Enrichment trip to Barcelona. 

For Block 5 students, we now run study trips to Girona for students of Spanish and Avignon for students of French. Both these trips happen yearly in September. We also launched a Russian trip to Estonia for Blocks 4 and 5 in September and the plan is for repeat trips to Estonia or a similar destination to happen every two years.

With the launch of our Japanese exchange link in Osaka, we took 15 Sixth Form students to Japan in October 2025. Due to the success of this trip, we will be returning again in October 2025 and hope to run the trip yearly, opening it up to Block 5 Japanese students in 2026.