Last week brought a wave of excitement to our MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) department as Year 8 and 9 students received eagerly awaited letters from their friends in Spain and France!

In Spanish, our Year 9s are continuing their fantastic partnership with Colegio Guadalaviar, an international girls’ school in Valencia. Established in 2023, this ongoing exchange inspires our students to use Spanish authentically, making language learning feel purposeful and exciting. We are also launching a Spanish e-live exchange/club just after half term where we will connect online with our friends in Valencia.

Year 9 have also been taking part in a Spanish music project. They have been writing a letter in Spanish to their pen pals about a Spanish-speaking singer of their choice. After their research, they included in their letters:

Information about the singer’s family (using the present tense)
Three key moments in their career (using the past tense)
Their most well-known songs that they recommend listening to (using the present tense)
Their own opinions with reasons
The singer’s future plans (using the future tense)

This task allowed students to practise a range of tenses while developing their cultural knowledge and written communication skills. In exchange, the students in Valencia are completing a similar task but English-speaking singers and letters in English.

Meanwhile, our Year 8 French students were delighted to open letters from their peers at Collège Jean-Baptiste Say in Paris earlier this week. Students shared stories of their daily school life and hobbies with their new pen pals in France. These connections are bringing the language to life right inside our classroom.