French

Learning languages is one of the most valuable skills a person can develop. It opens doors to new cultures, perspectives, and ways of thinking. When we learn another language, we don’t just gain the ability to communicate with more people—we also deepen our understanding of how language itself works. This awareness strengthens our skills in English.

In addition to this, learning languages develops memory, problem-solving and listening skills. It helps us to think more flexibly and to express ideas more clearly. People who speak more than one language often find they can switch between different ways of thinking, which makes them more creative and adaptable.

Language learning enriches our minds, improves communication, and gives us a deeper appreciation of our own language and culture.

In Dornoch Academy, French is the compulsory L2 for all pupils in S1 and S2, alongside German and Gaelic (the agreed L3 for our cluster)

Courses taught (BGE and Senior phase)

BGE - In S1 and S2, French is the compulsory L2

In Senior Phase, French is offered at N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher. The French for Life and Work Award is also offered in conjunction with the Social Subjects department as part of the Travel and Tourism courses.

Assessment Details

Every second unit of work has two assessments - one productive skill (speaking or writing) and one receptive skill (listening or reading), so that all four skills are covered every two units/terms.

Family learning/useful resources

Every pupil has a digital personal learning plan with all the vocabulary and grammar we are learning together. Included in this also are the learning intentions and success criteria together with sections for parents and peers to help pupils evaluate where they are at and what their next steps are.

German

Studying grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation in a new language encourages us to notice patterns and rules that we often take for granted in our first language. For example, learning how sentences are structured in French, German or Gaelic can make us more aware of sentence construction and word choice in English. It can also improve our spelling, punctuation, and general writing style. As Germanic languages, English and German have so much in common - it really is fascinating to see how each language has developed separately over the last 1000 years from their original common roots!

Language learning enriches our minds, improves communication, and gives us a deeper appreciation of our own language and culture.

In Dornoch Academy, German is offered as an L3 choice to all pupils in S1 and S2, alongside French (the agreed L2 for our cluster) which is compulsory for all.

Courses taught (BGE and Senior phase)

BGE - In S1 and S2, German is one of the L3 choices (the other being Gaelic (Learners)).

In Senior Phase, German is offered at N3, N4, N5, Higher and Advanced Higher. The German for Life and Work Award is also offered in conjunction with the Social Subjects department as part of the Travel and Tourism courses.

Homework Requirements

Homework is usually issued once a fortnight, using a mixture of in-house materials and Pearson Active Learn. These are usually to be completed on the pupil’s Chromebook which allows for integrated listening tasks and interactive games.

Assessment Details

Every second unit of work has two assessments - one productive skill (speaking or writing) and one receptive skill (listening or reading), so that all four skills are covered every two units/terms.

Family learning/useful resources

Every pupil has a personal learning plan with all the vocabulary and grammar we are learning together. Included in this also are the learning intentions and success criteria together with sections for parents and peers to help pupils evaluate where they are at and what their next steps are.

Gaelic Learners

Studying grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation in a new language encourages us to notice patterns and rules that we often take for granted in our first language. For example, learning how sentences are structured in French, German or Gaelic can make us more aware of sentence construction and word choice in English. It can also improve our spelling, punctuation, and general writing style. As one of Scotland’s own indigenous languages, Gaelic has a richness and relevance that is evident in our culture, our history and even in our local geographical names.

Moreover, learning languages develops memory, problem-solving, and listening skills. It helps us to think more flexibly and to express ideas more clearly. People who speak more than one language often find they can switch between different ways of thinking, which makes them more creative and adaptable.

Language learning enriches our minds, improves communication, and gives us a deeper appreciation of our own language and culture.

Gaelic (Learners) is offered as an L3 to all pupils in S1 and S2, alongside French (the agreed L2 for our cluster) which is compulsory for all. We are not currently able to offer Gàidhlig courses (for pupils who have gone through Gaelic Medium Education) as Highland Council has made provision elsewhere for that.

Courses taught (BGE and Senior phase)

BGE - In S1 and S2, Gaelic (Learners) is one of the L3 choices (the other being German).

In Senior Phase, Gaelic (Learners) is offered at N3, N4 and N5. The Gaelic for Life an Work Award is also offered in conjunction with the Social Subjects department as part of the Travel and Tourism courses.

Homework requirements

Homework is usually issued once a fortnight, using in-house materials. These are usually to be completed on the pupil’s Chromebook which allows for integrated listening tasks and interactive games.

Assessment details

Every second unit of work has two assessments - one productive skill (speaking or writing) and one receptive skill (listening or reading), so that all four skills are covered every two units/terms.

Family learning/useful resources