Intent
What is taught? At Toft Hill Primary, we recognise the importance of MFL in providing children with a foundation for learning further languages, equipping them to study and work in other countries. As one of the foundation subjects taught in primary schools, we give the learning of French the prominence it requires.
We follow the National Curriculum for MFL, which aims to ensure that all children
· understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
· 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
· discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied
We teach MFL progressively across KS2 ensuring that skills are developed through a series of topics.
Implementation
How is MFL taught?
“Progress means knowing more and remembering more.” OFSTED
When teaching MFL, we see it as essential that there is a clear progression of skills and knowledge within each of the topics and across the year groups.
Pupils 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
· 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
· write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
· describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
We follow the Kapow curriculum model.
MFL is taught discretely within each year group but the vocabulary is constantly reinforced when teaching in the other subjects as this allows children to embed their knowledge of the French language.
Impact
Why is MFL taught in this way? The PE curriculum is taught progressively from Reception to Year 6 to ensure that children develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve the end of Key Stage Two expectations. Pupils should:
· have developed a broad vocabulary
· understand some grammatical structures
· be able to write simple sentences
· be able to hold a conversation and express an opinion
· be able to read and understand a simple story
Our aim is to prepare pupils for the next stage of their education and for life.
