Modern Foreign Languages

Curriculum Intent:

At Bottesford Juniors, we believe that the learning of a foreign language contributes to providing valuable, educational, social and cultural experiences for our pupils. It helps them develop communication skills including developing the key skills of speaking and listening. Learning another language can also give children a new perspective on the world, promote global citizenship, respect for other cultures and encourage them to further understand and aspire to take part in the global community around them, maximising experiences and the children’s confidence.

Our aims are to fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for MFL which should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to enthusiastically express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers both in speech and writing. The language taught in our school is French. The teaching is facilitated by the ‘Language Angels’ scheme with other resources being used to support learning where required.

MFL in our school:

• French is taught in Year 3 to 6 with Year 6 having an immersive experience of the French language throughout their final term to consolidate knowledge.
• Topics are taught each half term following our whole-school LTP.
• Planning is facilitated by the Language Angel’s programme of study.
• Progression of knowledge and skills document has been informed by the Language Angel’s programme of study and The National Curriculum.
• A variety of techniques are used to encourage active learning and promote enjoyment e.g. games, role-play, rhymes and action songs.
• Lessons seek to encourage a positive attitude to the learning of a modern foreign language and curiosity.
• Children’s confidence is built through praise for any contribution they make, however tentative.
• Our lessons aim to promote global citizenship and enterprise skills.
• Teachers provide continuous provision and make the most of retrieval opportunities to help make learning stick.
• Opportunities are provided throughout the curriculum to revisit and make links e.g Etymology in reading and spelling.

Long term plan overview:

Impact:

MFL at Bottesford Juniors will ensure all children develop key language learning skills, as set out by the National Curriculum, as well as a love of languages that develops year on year.

Topics increase in their level of challenge as children move from Early Learning topics through Intermediate topics and into the most challenging Progressive topics. Early Learning topics start at basic noun and article level and teach children how to formulate short phrases. By the time children reach progressive topics they will be exposed to much longer texts and will be encouraged to formulate their own, more personalised responses based on a much wider bank of vocabulary, linguistic structures and grammatical knowledge. They will be able to create longer pieces of spoken and written language and are encouraged to use a variety of conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives, opinions and justifications. Children continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language-learning journey, as previous language is recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated, where appropriate. Children will discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the French language.