MFL
Intent
At Stockton Wood Primary School, all pupils in Key Stage 2 will benefit from the rich cultural experience of learning French. Language learning provides an opening for children to increase their understanding of their own language, investigate a new language and to explore other cultures. It also enhances children’s self-confidence and broadens their cultural understanding. The process of learning a foreign language reinforces fluency and understanding of grammar and sentence structure, skills which are invaluable in later life. Studying a modern foreign language helps to prepare pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world, a world in which work and other activities are increasingly carried out in languages other than English.
Our desire to embed language learning within our curriculum comes from the statutory commitment in the National Curriculum to give every child between the ages of 7 and 11 the opportunity to learn a new language.
It is intended that when children leave Stockton Wood Primary School, 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. They will be engaged and prepared to continue language learning at Secondary School.
Implementation
Children have weekly lessons in French throughout Key Stage 2, using the resources and units of work from Language Angels.
In line with the National Curriculum for MFL, pupils at Stockton Wood Primary School are taught to:
- listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
- explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
- engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
- speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
- develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
- present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
- read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
- appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
- broaden 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
- understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.
Impact
We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:
⦁ Observing children speaking and listening in another language.
⦁ Marking of any written work.
⦁ Images and videos of children completing speaking and listening activities.
⦁ Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice)