MFL
MFL Intent
'Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world’ (National Curriculum 2014 Programme of Study for Languages).
Here, at St James School, we want all of our learners to open their minds to different languages, countries and cultures. One way we can do this is to provide all of our children with a high-quality education in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). The language we teach in KS2 is French. By the end of their primary education journey, our pupils will have opportunities to speak, read and write in French along with developing their cultural-awareness of the country.
At St James Primary School, we will develop in our pupils a love for language learning through exploring a range of stories, songs, games and rhymes in French. A high-quality MFL curriculum fosters our pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. The teaching will enable 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 will also provide opportunities for children to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language.
The 2014 National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages aims to ensure that all children:
- understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources;
- are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and that they are 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;
- discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
MFL Implementation
As children begin their KS2 journey, they have weekly French lessons using the Language Magnet scheme of work.
Clear progression in the coverage of the curriculum can be seen and teachers tailor planning to meet the needs of their children. Progress is monitored regularly by teachers, as well as the subject lead and examples of children’s work are displayed on a dedicated language board in each classroom. Each child has a MFL book where work is kept.
Each term, pupils in KS2 enjoy a ‘French Culture’ afternoon as follows:
| Autumn | Spring | Summer |
Year 3 | Being a tourist in France! Label a map of France with the most popular places for tourists to visit and produce an accompanying ‘key’ with details about each destination. *Virtual headsets | French artist study – Claude Monet and recreate a painting/collage of the bridge over a pond of water lilies (using masking tape for the bridge). | French food tasting – baguette, croissant, pain au chocolat, cheeses (Brie, Camembert), quiche Lorraine, French onion soup, pate, pancakes etc. |
Year 4 | The Tour de France. | French music – historic and current. | Education – how is it different?
|
Year 5 | French fashion and its influence on the world e.g. Chanel, Dior, YSL etc. | French artist study – Henri Matisse and recreate a painting of ‘the woman with a hat’. | French food – in groups, prepare and make a Boeuf Bourguignon to be cooked in the slow cooker the following day and eaten with bread for lunch. |
Year 6 | French politics. | French history with a focus on Bastille Day. Les Miserables – story outline, film excerpts, songs from the musical etc. | What is France famous for? Include inventions, discoveries, achievements, significant individuals etc. |
MFL impact
Our MFL curriculum ensures that children develop their knowledge of where different languages, including the range of home languages spoken by the families of the school, as well as French, are spoken in the world. Varied learning experiences, also ensure that languages are celebrated throughout the school community whilst providing a context for language learning and develop the children’s understanding of different cultures. This ties in with other curriculum areas including PSHE, RE, History and Geography.
The children are assessed at the end of each topic, with the teacher giving feedback through marking and verbal feedback. This process is supported by the end of KS2 statements in the National Curriculum 2014. ‘Care, Share, Believe and Achieve’ are our core values here at St James and through the teaching of Modern Foreign Languages, pupils are provided with the tools to become respectful individuals with a breadth of knowledge of different languages and cultures and opportunities to celebrate diversity.
General
KS2…
- Speaking and listening activities
- Songs
- Games
- Role play
- Writing opportunities (pupil folders)
- Progressive knowledge of word classes and masculine/feminine forms
Schemes of Work
- Language Magnet – core scheme
Experiences
EYFS and KS1
- Learning about cultures and traditions from around the world e.g. Chinese New Year and Diwali etc.
KS2
- French ‘culture’ afternoons (one per term)