Modern Foreign Languages Intent

It is our intent at Martley CE Primary School to provide all of our children with a high-quality education in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), which develops their love of learning and curiosity about other languages and cultures, helping to provide them with an understanding of what it is to be a ‘global citizen’. We aim to build the children’s ‘cultural capital’ so that they have a knowledge and understanding of the richness and diversity between cultures to encourage compassion and co-operation. We believe that learning another language gives children a new and broader perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand better their own culture as well as those of others.

We want all pupils to develop a genuine interest and curiosity about languages, finding them enjoyable and exciting so that they may develop a commitment to continue their language learning past KS2. We want all pupils to develop the courage and confidence to engage in spoken French, develop skills in reading, listening, phonological awareness and writing, as well as learning to value the importance of learning languages. It is our intention to foster creativity as a tool for effective learning through the manner in which French is taught as well as opportunities for our children to support their learning by engaging creatively with the French language.

 

Modern Foreign Languages Implementation

In KS2, children are taught in weekly sessions, with class teachers reinforcing their learning outside of lessons where possible. The teaching of French follows the guidance material from the ‘Kapow’ scheme of work and supplementary materials. The scheme of work is separated into coverage for Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 which includes individual lesson plans and interactive whiteboard resources as well as an introduction to key vocabulary for each lesson. The scheme provides balanced opportunities for communication in both spoken and written French, although in Year 3 the focus is on developing oral skills, before incorporating written French in Year 4 and beyond.

The French scheme of work is designed with three knowledge strands that run throughout our units with knowledge building cumulatively. These are:

• Phonics;
• Vocabulary;
• Grammar.

 

Modern Foreign Languages Impact

After the implementation of French, pupils should leave school equipped with a range of language-learning skills to enable them to study modern foreign languages with confidence at Key Stage 3.

The expected impact of following the French scheme of work is that children will:

• Be able to engage in purposeful dialogue in practical situations (e.g. ordering in a café, following directions) and express an opinion; 

• Make increasingly accurate attempts to read unfamiliar words, phrases and short texts; 

• Speak and read aloud with confidence and accuracy in pronunciation; 

• Demonstrate understanding of spoken language by listening and responding appropriately; 

• Use a bilingual dictionary to support their language learning; 

• Be able to identify word classes in a sentence and apply grammatical rules they have learnt; 

• Have developed an awareness of cognates and near-cognates and be able to use them to tackle unfamiliar words in French, English, and other languages;
• Be able to construct short texts on familiar topics; 

• Meet the end of Key Stage 2 stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Languages.