Modern Foreign languages are studied in KS2 (French), with some children being introduced to Spanish through an after school Lingotots Club. Modern Foreign Languages is broken down into half-term blocks focusing on a certain topic in line with the National Curriculum.
We believe we are preparing children to study Modern Foreign Languages to a high standard, including University, by developing the foundations of their knowledge in primary school.
Learning MFL well allows children to realise career goals as a teacher, translator, a person in a role within travel or hospitality and even international organisations.
We want children to enjoy exploring other countries, cultures and languages. Within the lessons, children will use a range of strategies to enable in-depth language learning such as speaking, listening, reading and writing. The children will also have the opportunity to research different aspects of culture and lifestyle in France such as famous people, events, places of interest and more. Modern Foreign Languages is planned to allow progressive learning by developing on vocabulary already learned and extending this knowledge further. The lessons allow consolidation of previous learning through plenary activities. All lessons are planned to ensure the subject is accessible for all. Overall, we want children to be resilient and confident to study MFL.
Topics are organised around the National Curriculum objectives and allow children to study a range of different topic areas over the 4 years in KS2. Children are given the opportunity to develop their speaking and listening skills in some of the following ways: singing songs, preparing a short presentation and listening attentively to understand more complex phrases. They also develop their understanding through reading and writing skills in some of the following ways: reading familiar words and joining in with a story, reading aloud with confidence and writing sentences on a range of topics. Throughout all of this, children are continuously advancing their knowledge about how the language works and the culture of the countries.
To enrich the children’s experiences we plan a food tasting session at the end of Year 5 and 6. This lesson enables children to experience different tastes and foods they may not have had before, plus understand more about the culture and lifestyle of France.
In addition to this the school actively looks for funding to be able to enrich the children’s experiences by giving some children the opportunity to visit another country and experience its culture and language first-hand. The visit includes students from the local secondary school and focuses on children who have not had this kind of experience before. It also supports transition for those children.
The subject co-ordinator evaluates if children are working at the required standard through work scrutiny, informal questioning and formal assessments at the end of topic blocks.
In order that children are prepared for the next step in their education, the subject coordinator has spoken to secondary teachers at Tanfield School to ensure the MFL we are teaching is of a high-quality and supports the learning the children will be moving on to.
Subject Area Progression Map
MFL Curriculum Progression Document
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