Primary Modern Foreign Languages

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

• understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources;
• 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;
• can write a varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt; and
• discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Primary Intent for Modern Foreign Languages

It is our intention at Gildredge House Primary, to provide all of our children with a high-quality education in Modern Foreign Languages, which develops their love of learning about other languages and cultures. It is our intention to ensure that by the end of our children’s primary education, they have acquired an understanding of both spoken and written French and Spanish, confidence to speak in French or Spanish with others to an appropriate level and to know how important other languages can be in their future in order to prepare them to be global citizens now and in their future roles within a global community.

As an all-through school, we wanted to give the children a range of experiences in different languages to prepare for their more formal learning of a language when they arrive in KS3. Our planning is based on the La Jolie Ronde scheme of work which covers all the components of the Programme of Study. It is the intention that all children will be introduced to MFL through exploring French and Spanish languages informally and at an age appropriate level.

Our MFL curriculum is designed to develop not only our children’s language skills, but also their love of learning a language. It progressively develops language skills, through regularly taught lessons in order that they can know more, remember more and understand more. This allows the children to acquire a new language then use and apply it in a range of different scenarios and topics. Children are encouraged and supported to develop their speaking and listening skills through conversational work, singing activities and games. As their confidence and skills grow, children record their work through pictures, captions and sentences.

The choice of which language to teach is secondary to the lifelong language learning skills that the pupils will be encouraged to develop, skills that they will be able to access in the future will help them to learn new languages or to improve their competence in an existing language. Increased capability in the use of MFL promotes initiative, confidence and independent learning and encourages diversity within society.

Implementation of Modern Foreign Languages at Gildredge House

In the Foundation Stage, MFL will make an active contribution to all of the seven areas of learning. The language studied will be mainly French, with some reflection of other European languages. In KS1 the key language is French with some reflection of other European languages. In Lower KS2, the key language is French. The children will be building on their prior knowledge and developing a proficiency in listening, reading and writing to an age appropriate level. In Upper KS2, the key language is Spanish. The children will be building on any prior knowledge and developing a proficiency in listening, reading and writing to an age appropriate level. Each unit of work identifies prior learning and shows how this is built upon. The MFL curriculum focuses on the statutory curriculum and enhances this by developing culture capital activities eg a French Christmas event, a French summer fair and a trip to France.

Every Year Group’s units of work include:

• Step 1 ‘Big Picture’ – setting the French or Spanish learning that is about to take place within the chronology of the pupils’ MFL learning to date;
• Step 2 ‘Review’ of the most recent learning in French or Spanish;
• Step 3 ‘Learning Key French or Spanish vocabulary’;
• Step 4 ‘Using Oracy’;
• Step 5 ‘Applying Literacy – writing French or Spanish and applying grammar;
• On-going throughout – Developing intercultural understanding.

For more information on implementation and impact, read our MFL Statement [PDF]

For more information on Progression of Skills, read our Progression of Skills document [PDF]