MFL Curriculum at St Eanswythe’s

Rationale and National Curriculum Coverage

Taken from Department for Education, 2013:

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‘Purpose of study:

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.’

Intent:

At St Eanswythes Primary School, we believe it is essential for pupils from Reception to Year 6 to celebrate and respect a range of cultures, languages, traditions, and values through informal exposure. Pupils are given opportunities to build up their basic knowledge of different languages through natural integration, however, pupils are primarily taught French.  Learning another language at St Eanswythes gives our pupils a broader perspective of the world and all the different cultures within. Pupils will begin their French learning journey in Year R and continue this throughout their time at St Eanwsythes. We believe that learning French poses many benefits for our pupils and their future. For example, the majority of our surrounding local secondary schools only offer French as a GCSE option; therefore, we can prepare our pupils appropriately. Moreover, by teaching and fostering a love of learning in French we can support the Government’s MFL GCSE target of 90%. Our fortunate close links to France gives our learning of the French language and culture significant context.

Throughout our MFL curriculum at St Eanswythes we intend to enhance pupils’ confidence and knowledge of languages and develop their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills to enable them to apply their French learning in a variety of contexts. Pupils are introduced to French in EYFS and KS1 through practical sessions and singing. French phonics is then taught to Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 in order to strengthen their understanding of the letter-sound relationships and how they are written and pronounced. Pupils build an awareness of cultural differences and develop positive attitudes towards other languages and cultures. They are reminded to love and respect one another and their differences, which feeds into our bible verse ‘love one another, as I have loved you’ John 13:34.

Implementation: 

All year groups are exposed to different languages and cultures through introducing simple language learning which is integrated into the school day. For example, taking the register, the date or being polite; home languages and cultures are valued and sharing them in class is encouraged. French is taught from Reception to Year 6. Pupils in Years R, 1 and 2, engage in a weekly French sessions. During the weekly sessions, phrases and vocabulary are taught through fun and fast practical sessions. Each session consists of learning simple vocabulary and ends with singing a termly song that revisits vocabulary learnt from the previous term. In Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 pupils are taught for a minimum of 40 minutes a week and teaching follows Kapow’s French scheme of work, which meets the National Curriculum objectives. Although a scheme is in place, teaching is not restricted and includes a variety of activities including role-play, games, speaking and listening opportunities, and reading and writing opportunities. Verbal feedback and marking where possible are done throughout the lesson with the children. At St Eanswythes, pupils are offered wider experiences and opportunities, such as celebration days, making contact with pen pals and Spanish club. Pupils are given opportunities to apply their knowledge of French to real-life contexts to motivate their learning. In the past, they have practised their French writing and reading skills by sending and receiving a Christmas card to a child in France. Our Spanish club (currently not run due to maternity) supports pupils understanding of the similarities between languages derived from Latin. Pupils will also gain a cultural understanding of Spain through celebrating and experiencing past and present traditions.

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Impact:

Our MFL teaching and learning positively impacts pupils understanding of languages and cultures. Pupils gain the advantage of leaving St Eansywthes with a strong foundation of the French language and a deeper understanding of the culture. Pupils are assessed against the aims of the National Curriculum to ensure they can be supported appropriately as they move through KS2. Formative and Summative assessments are carried out to ensure pupils are on track and to identify any gaps in learning. Pupils’ French books show evidence of pupils’ success and development. Pupils can read, speak, listen, and write for different contexts, purposes, and audiences, using a variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt by the time they leave St Eanswythes. After receiving French phonic teaching within our curriculum, pupils can pronounce sounds and words confidently. Pupils who engage with our Spanish club leave St Eanswythes with a bank of language knowledge, vocabulary, and an understanding of the Spanish culture, benefitting them in secondary school, should they decide to learn Spanish. French is monitored by our subject leader via staff discussions, lesson observations and listening to pupil voice.