Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

french picture.png

Intent

At Woodcocks’ Well CE (VA) Primary School we are discovering a world of wonder, empowered by God’s spirit. Throughout our Modern Foreign Language curriculum, we wish to uphold the ‘Fruits of the Spirit Values; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

At Woodcocks’ Well CE (VA) Primary School CE Primary School, Modern Foreign Languagesis inclusive. We fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages, which fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. The teaching enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It also provides opportunities for children to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read text in the original language.

The aims of teaching Modern Foreign Languages in our school are to:

  • 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 

  • Write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures learnt 

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

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Modern Foreign Languages, we implement a curriculum that teaches different content and skills throughout a 2 year programme in Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2. Modern Foreign Languages is taught in discrete lessons covering at least one unit per half term. 

The Modern Foreign Languages curriculum at Woodcocks’ Well CE (VA) Primary School CE Primary School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills to be taught by the end of Key Stage 2. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document. When teaching Modern Foreign Languages, teachers ensure the children’s experiences of learning are engaging, broad and balanced. Teachers use ‘activate’ to ensure children can recall prior knowledge and adapt lessons as necessary.

In Modern Foreign Languages, skills in speaking, reading and writing another language are developed through a multi-sensory approach such as rhymes, songs, stories and repetition. Children also develop their understanding of grammar in another language. 

Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) / Pupil Premium / Higher Attainers

All children will have Ordinarily Available Inclusive Practice (OAIP). Any children with identified SEND or in receipt of Pupil Premium funding may have work additional to and different from their peers in order to access the curriculum dependent upon their needs. As well as this, our school offers a demanding and varied curriculum, providing children with a range of opportunities in order for them to reach their full potential and consistently achieve highly from their starting points.

Impact

Our Modern Foreign Languages curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge, skills and discrete vocabulary. Children deepen their understanding of Modern Foreign Languages by demonstrating understanding of, and respect for, cultural diversity. We measure the impact of our Modern Foreign Languages curriculum through the following methods: 

  • Summative assessment via a Learning Question review lesson to identify what knowledge the children have gained.

  • Formative assessment which may be marked work in books or images and videos of the children’s practical learning.

  • Subject Leader monitoring in-line with the school’s monitoring arrangements.

  • Annual report to Governors.

The Modern Foreign Languagessubject leader will regularly monitor the impact Modern Foreign Languagesteaching is having on the children’s learning through work scrutinies to ensure the progress of knowledge and skills is being taught well. The subject leader will also ensure the knowledge taught is retained by the children and continually revisited and that the learners are able to apply the skills they have been taught to a variety of different settings, showing independence with their learning. 

The language we have chosen to teach at Woodcocks’ Well CE (VA) Primary School is French.

Below are some interactive websites the children can visit at home to have fun with French whilst learning.

Please be aware that there may be adverts and pop-ups dependent upon you home internet settings. Please check beforehand.

BBC Primary French

French games

French Games 2

Woodcocks' Well CE VA Primary School

Church Street, Mow Cop Stoke-on-Trent, ST7 3NQ