Modern Foreign Languages

Subject Leader- Mrs Finch

Modern Foreign Languages

Intent

‘A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should 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.’ (National Curriculum 2014)

At St Aidan’s CE Primary School we aim to provide the children in our care as wide a range of opportunities and experiences as possible. We acknowledge the influence that Europe has on our lives and as the UK is becoming an increasingly multicultural society, we have a duty to provide our children with an understanding of other cultures and languages.

Learning a language enriches the curriculum, providing excitement, enjoyment and challenge for children and teachers, helping to create enthusiastic learners and to develop positive attitudes to language learning throughout life. We hold a responsibility in delivering a broad-balanced curriculum that develops high aspirations and enables the children to reach their full potential and experience success.  

Our current MFL taught is French and it is our intention to ensure that by the end of our children’s primary education, they have acquired an understanding of both spoken and written French, confidence to speak in French with others and know how important languages can be in their future.

We aim to build the children’s ‘culture capital’ so that they are aware of similarities and differences between cultures.

Implement

We want the children to develop as critical and creative thinkers and enrich, extend and consolidate learning in a variety of contexts. Through systematic and progressive planning, we intend to encourage the children to develop their skills in French.

We are currently using KAPOW to deliver our French lessons. The programme ensures children acquire a bank of vocabulary organised around specific topics. They ensure development is progressive as they build on previous knowledge from units already studied.

Alongside KAPOW, teachers use a variety of the following techniques to encourage children to have an active engagement with Languages:

• Games – in order to develop vocabulary through repetition, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills
• Role-play – these should relate to the situations the children may find themselves in the future
• Action songs and rhymes – to develop phonetic skills, memory skills and to further vocabulary
• Puppets and toys – to be used to develop communication skills
• Mime - to associate vocabulary with kinesthetic learning
• Reading and writing quality materials
• ICT programs and websites; the use of ICT to develop communication skills

 We make the lessons as entertaining and enjoyable as possible, as we realise that this approach serves to develop a positive attitude in the children to the learning of modern foreign languages. We build children’s confidence through constant praise for any contribution they make in the foreign language.

All children in KS2 are taught French in a weekly hour long discreet lesson. KS1 children are introduced to MFL through exploring other languages informally when studying another country. We encourage the children to use their spoken French skills daily; e.g. answering the register in French and using their manners in French. To make the language more meaningful and purposeful signs are put up around the school.

Impact

Through the high quality first teaching of French taking place we will see the impact of the subject in the following ways:

• Children will be able to communicate with each other in French
• Children will develop their language through development of the four key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.
• Children will enrich their language learning by developing an understanding of the French culture
• Children will be given the opportunity to look at other languages – particularly if children are bi-lingual
• Children will learn how language skills can be applied to a range of languages

At St Aidan's, 'Every child matters and more importantly, they know they matter!

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