Modern Languages
The Modern Languages faculty at Kinross High School offers six languages in total: French, Spanish, German, Mandarin, Russian and Cantonese. Our dedicated and enthusiastic team of staff aim to offer all pupils a positive language learning experience. Through the skills of talking, listening, reading and writing, we enhance students' ability to communicate with others in a foreign language, to enable them to express their thoughts, feelings and ideas with confidence, and arm them with the knowledge of how language works.
The Modern Languages faculty fosters cultural awareness and encourages pupils to view themselves as part of a wider global community. We encourage learner independence and co-operation with others. We also highlight the importance of language skills in the world of work. Our staff strive to build on the work in our cluster primary schools so that pupils are keen to take advantage of the language learning opportunities at Kinross High School.
Kinross High School is also the Confucius Hub for Perth and Kinross Council and, in addition to a Mandarin teacher, benefit from the additional appointment of Chinese Exchange teachers.
French is taught from P1 to P7 in Kinross High's cluster primary schools. Pupils may also learn Spanish or Mandarin from P5. Kinross High cluster schools work closely together and follow a common programme designed in line with the Curriculum for Excellence and the 1+2 Languages policy in order to ensure continuity and progression in learning from primary to secondary school.
In S1 pupils have 4 periods of Modern Languages. All pupils study French for 2 periods per week. Pupils also study Spanish for 1 period per week and Mandarin for 1 period per week. All S1 classes will receive German and Russian taster lessons before selecting a second foreign language to study in greater depth in S2.
In S2 pupils continue to study French for 2 periods per week and have 2 periods of the language they selected at the end of S1 - either Russian, Mandarin, Spanish or German.
In line with the 1+2 Languages policy for Scotland, our pupils have the opportunity to study French from primary 1 to the end of S3 and a second foreign language from Primary 5 to the end of S3.
Our S3 pupils have the opportunity to visit Paris as part of the Kinross High School Excursion offer. The department also regularly organise trips to Spain and China for senior pupils.
In the senior phase (S4-6), we aim to offer all six of our languages to our learners. We offer French, German, Spanish and Mandarin from National 4 to Advanced Higher level.
We use an innovative approach to offer layered qualifications to our young people, meaning that all pupils in our Senior Phase will be presented for the Modern Languages for Life and Work Award alongside their main course (e.g National 5 German and German for Life and Work at SCQF Level 5). By choosing a language in the senior phase, young people can achieve two different qualifications with one language subject choice.
We offer beginner courses to senior pupils in Russian, Mandarin and Cantonese and these provide pupils with a Modern Languages for Life and Work Award. Given the breadth of languages and levels on offer, it is important to note that the viability of the classes is dependent upon pupil uptake each session.
Visit Pathways for more information on the courses we offer at each level.
The faculty have developed their own website which can be found by clicking the link below.