“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” ‒ Nelson Mandela

At Tor Bridge High, our intent is to create independent life-long language learners who can use their knowledge and skills to continue to learn languages, communicate across cultures and enjoy the intellectual challenge of language acquisition well beyond their time with us.

Learning a language is vital in order to develop citizens who can compete in an increasingly globalised workplace and society.  The skills and knowledge gained through the study of Modern Languages nurture global citizens, who appreciate the value of a culturally diverse society and who can leave school with valued qualifications which prove they are equipped with the skills to work in a variety of cultural contexts.

The study of Modern Languages challenges students to communicate in another language and think in new ways. It inspires a love of language learning and an intellectual curiosity about how language can both influence and be influenced by a diversity of cultural factors.

We also aim to deliver a curriculum which enables students to discover and develop an appreciation of another language whilst deepening the understanding of their own. By making explicit links between English and the language being studied students are able to critically analyse and improve their literacy and oracy skills. We encourage students to “Speak Like a Linguist” and want them to be both excellent communicators and grammatically aware.

We are proud to offer both French and Spanish as language options and we know this is valued by our school community. Plymouth is a city with strong links with France and Spain and these are the languages most valued by our local employers. As part of the transition process, students choose to study either French or Spanish in Year 7. This allows students to have agency in their chosen language and to build on any prior knowledge from KS2. Parents/Carers and students are strongly advised to continue with the language they have studied in KS2 (if applicable)

Though, we are also pragmatic. We believe that students will make the most progress as linguists if they focus their efforts on one language. Going into more depth in one language is of greater long-term value than learning the basics of communication in multiple languages. Being able to choose that language fosters students’ intrinsic motivation to embrace their language learning.

We intend that ALL students have the opportunity to experience language learning - whatever their ability - and we actively encourage students to choose a language for their GCSE options in Year 10 and Year 11.

We also support students in a range of community languages including Russian, Arabic, Polish and Turkish. Our intent is to widen all students' appreciation of each other's cultures and languages by celebrating our most able linguists. This is also supported through our Language Leader Programme.

Year 9 – Foundation course consolidating and extending knowledge gained in year7-8 to include the development of programming skills, knowledge of hard and software.

Throughout year 10 and 11 students will study six theory units based on computer programming and software development:

1: Algorithms

2: Programming Techniques

3: Producing Robust Programs

4: Computational Logic

5: Translators and Facilities of Language

6: Data Representation.

Throughout year 10 and year 11 students will study 8 theory units based on computer systems:

1: Systems Architecture

2: Memory

3: Storage

4: Wired and Wireless Networks

5: Network Topologies and Protocols

6: System Security

7: System Software

8: Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental

Towards the end of year 10 students are given a coursework task to complete which involves individual work on designing, developing and testing a computer program to solve a given scenario.

Students are assessed through end of unit tests after each theory unit, we also have an internal exam at the end of year 10 and a mock exam in January of year 11.