Ready, steady, cook! For pupils at Langley Park School for Girls Food technology lessons have a distinctly international flavour. Students follow a ten-week License to cook programme, where they learn practical cookery skills through the medium of German and French.

The project, which started life as an after school club, was successfully incorporated into the Year 7 curriculum in September 2009. Staff from both the MFL and the Technology departments have worked together to create an exciting and engaging way to teach languages through another subject area. Pupils cook authentic German and French recipes and also have the opportunity to taste a range of different foods, often specialties that they haven’t tasted before. Lessons are taught in the target language with a focus on key words and vocabulary. As pupils gain in confidence in the language, they are able to describe their dishes and experiences in more detail.

Pupils are highly motivated by this cross curricular approach. They are enthusiastic about learning German and French in this way and they are also eager to show off their cooking skills to family and friends! Certainly this project not only encourages pupils to continue with languages but it also equips them with practical cooking skills. Recipes for MFL success! is the recipient of this year’s Mary Glasgow Language Trust Award of £2000 and also the German Embassy Language Prize.

Language(s): German and French

Langley Park School for Girls is a larger than average secondary school with 1,800 pupils. It is a high-performing specialist school with specialisms in Technology, Languages and Sports. The school has also achieved Leading edge status.