MFL

Intent- What are we trying to achieve? 

Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster children's curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping children to study and work in other countries.

The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources

2. Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation

3. Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt

4. Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School:

Children have the equivalent of 30 minutes of French teaching each week throughout Key Stage 2, using the ‘Twinkl’ programme of study in addition to other resources.  Areas covered include numbers, colours, house and home, food and drink, the classroom, clothes and hobbies. 

It is intended that when children leave St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, they will have a natural curiosity and confidence to explore other countries, cultures and languages, accepting that, in a multi-lingual society it is a valuable skill to be able to communicate effectively with others in another language.  They will be engaged and prepared to continue language learning at their chosen Secondary Schools.

Implementation- How do we translate our vision into practice?

Pupils are taught to:

1. Listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding

2. Explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words

3. Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help 

4. Speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases

5. Present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences

6. Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing

7. Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language

8. Broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material

9. Write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas 

10. Describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing

11. Understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant) feminine and masculine forms, key features and patterns of the language and how to apply these and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Impact – What is the impact of our curriculum on the children?

Assessment criteria has been developed, in line with national curriculum aims, to enable teachers to assess the progress of children in their language learning as they move through Key Stage 2, ensuring that children are supported and challenged as appropriate.  

Children are also provided with a variety of extra-curricular activities such as a ‘French Cafe’ to promote their engagement in the subject as well as provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary, to continue their studies successfully at Secondary School. 

 One Final Thought. Why we teach MFL at St Mary’s.

The limits of my language are the limits of my universe- Ludwig Wittgenstein.