Curriculum statement for Modern Foreign Languages

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Intent

Learning another language develops children’s cultural awareness and understanding of the world around them. It extends their knowledge of how language works and helps them develop language skills. The twelve aims set out in the National Curriculum for Languages are re-visited through out the four-year scheme across engaging units of work that are based on familiar themes. The intention of the MFL curriculum at Robertswood is that children are taught to develop an interest in learning other languages in a way that is enjoyable and stimulating. We encourage children’s confidence and we strive to stimulate and encourage their curiosity about language. We actively plan links to develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries.

Our MFL curriculum is designed to progressively develop children’s skills in languages, through regular taught lessons. Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary organised around topics. Topics covered include: numbers, colours, house and home, food and drink, the classroom, clothes and hobbies.

It is intended that when children leave Robertswood, 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. We strive to embed the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing necessary to enable children to use and apply their French learning in a variety of contexts and lay the foundations for future language learning.

In lower key stage two, children acquire basic skills and understanding of French with a strong emphasis placed on developing their speaking and listening skills. These will be in bedded and further developed in upper KS2, alongside reading and writing, gradually progressing onto more complex language concepts and greater learner autonomy. 

Through our planit French scheme, we intend to inspire people to develop the love of languages and expand their horizons to other countries, cultures and people. We aim to help children grow into curious, confident and reflective language learners and to provide them with a foundation that will equip them for further language studies.

Implementation

Our MFL curriculum is designed to listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding, appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language, it progressively broadens their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary, describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing, develop 

This allows the children to acquire and develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases, engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those to those of others; seek clarification and help, explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, present ideas and information orally to range of audiences, read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.   

As their confidence and skill grows, children speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures, understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied and write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to ideas clearly. 

Lessons are sequenced so that prior learning is considered and opportunities for revision of language and grammatical concepts are built into lessons. Lessons and resources help children to build on prior knowledge alongside the introduction of new skills. The series of lessons are suggested, providing structure and contacts as well as offering an insight into the culture of French – speaking countries and communities. The introduction revision of key vocabulary and grammatical structures is built into each lesson. 

Planet French has been designed by a language specialist teaching team, including French native speakers, so that teaches feel confident and supported. All of our lesson packs contain adult guidance, accurate language subject knowledge and accompanying audio materials.

All children in KS2 will have a weekly language lesson. 

Impact

Our MFL curriculum will ensure all pupils develop key language learning skills set out by the national curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures.

Pupils will:

understand and respond to spoken and written language

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

Impact can be measured by questioning within lessons and review of learning against the learning objective. 

The impact of the curriculum will be reviewed at the end of the year through observations and assessments of pupils’ learning and through pupil discussions about their learning, which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work.