Modern Foreign Languages


Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Department

Did you know:

  • London is physically closer to Paris than it is to Newcastle.

  • One fifth of the world’s population speaks Mandarin Chinese and that China is one of the world’s fastest emerging economies?

  • Germany has the strongest economy in Europe.

  • Spanish is the first language spoken by almost 15% of the population of the USA.

  • The latest Disney Theme Park will be built in Shanghai, China.

As the world becomes an ever smaller place and the global economy is ever more interlinked, it is important to recognise that we are not just from Hartlepool, the North East, Britain or even Europe – we are all global citizens!

Studying a modern foreign language is your first step towards playing an active part in the world on our doorsteps. We can all expect to come across people from different countries at some point in our futures, be it through work, travel or on Xbox Live! What better way to get to know people than by speaking their language?.

Studying a second language is a great opportunity to get to know all about different cultures and societies as well as actually being able to communicate when you’re abroad. Learning a foreign language helps improve your grasp of English and widens your vocabulary. School leavers with foreign languages have better career prospects, and are more likely to be open minded and tolerant people.

At Manor we’re lucky to have three native speakers in a department of just seven staff. We offer opportunities to our pupils to study French, German, Latin, and new in 2009, Spanish, and Mandarin, Chinese. For pupils who aren’t formally studying a language that they would like to try, there are Spanish and Mandarin lunchtime clubs that everyone is welcome to come along to.

Modern Foreign Languages at Manor College 2009/10

Year 7

  • All pupils in Year 7 study a foreign language.

  • Brunel pupils study French with Mandarin once a fortnight.

  • Hawking pupils study only French at this stage, but will get the

    opportunity to study another language in Year 8 or Year 9.

  • Pascal pupils study Mandarin once a week with the emphasis on Chinese culture.

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Year 8

  • All pupils in Year 8 study a foreign language.

  • Brunel pupils study French with Mandarin once a fortnight.

  • Hawking pupils study only French at this stage, but will get the

    opportunity to study another language in Year 9.

  • Pascal pupils study Mandarin once a week with the emphasis on Chinese culture.

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Year 9

  • All pupils in Year 9 study a foreign language, except pupils in Pascal pathway, although we hope to offer a language next year.

  • Brunel pupils study German with Mandarin once a fortnight.

  • Hawking pupils are enjoying our new “MFL Experience” this year – all pupils study a selection of one or two languages from German, Mandarin or Spanish.

  • We hope to offer all these languages as an option for Year 10 next year.

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Year 10

  • All Brunel pupils continue to study their first foreign language – in this year group – French.

  • Other pupils may study French as an option.

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Year 11

  • All Brunel pupils continue to study their first foreign language as an option – in this year group – German.

  • Other pupils may study German as an option.

A small number of pupils from Year 8 and Year 9 also study Latin, and hope to take GCSE at the end of Year 10.

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The Foreign Languages Department at Manor College

Teaching in the languages department are:

Mrs Lesley Welsh.
Mrs Welsh has just been appointed to the new role of Director of Languages. She will work at Manor and High Tunstall as well as Hartlepool Sixth Form College.

Mr Gary Thomas.
Mr Thomas is Head of Modern Foreign Languages. He teaches French and German.

Mrs Lisa Butcher.
Mrs Butcher teaches French and German.

Mr Yannick Thorez.
Mr Thorez teaches French and is a native speaker.

Miss Alicia Rubio.
Miss Rubio is new to Manor in 2009 and teaches Spanish. She is also a native speaker.

Miss Yen Min Wu.
Miss Wu is also new to Manor this year. She is our third native foreign languages teacher. Miss Wu teaches Mandarin here at Manor and also at High Tunstall School.

We are also really lucky to have the help of two native foreign language assistants this year; Élodie is French and Benjamin is German.

Our language assistants will work with most of our pupils at some stage this year, giving them an excellent opportunity to get to know a young person in the language they are studying.

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