MFL
MFL curriculum statement
Our school vision
The Lord says, ‘I will instruct you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye
on you.’ Psalm 32:8
We live our vision with three dynamics at the heart: Living, Learning & Flourishing together.
We live as role models and advocate good choices
We learn in all we do with a loving eye upon us
We flourish in the way we go, within school and into the world beyond
Our five Core Values are: Kindness – Koinonia – Compassion – Responsibility – Forgiveness
Through a positive, caring environment, we provide the opportunity for every child to reach
their full potential. We embrace Christian values and ensure all children are ready for their
next steps. This statement sets out how we do this in Modern Foreign Languages.
INTENT
At Great Massingham and Harpley Primary Schools Federation, we believe
Studying a language in primary school provides children with skills that are essential for the
twenty-first century. As well as giving them the opportunity to learn other languages, an
increasingly important skill in our globalised society, it also helps to promote, LIVE and develop
a broader intercultural understanding. The study of other languages also supports children’s
literacy and oracy in school, by raising awareness of aspects of their own language(s), thereby
enriching their understanding of both.
Our aim, which is at the heart of the programme of study for KS2, is to develop an enthusiastic
and positive attitude to other languages and language learning. We hope to encourage a life-long
learning of languages among our pupils in order to enhance their understanding of the world and
their future economic well-being. Our main objective in the teaching of a modern foreign
language at primary school is to promote the early development of linguistic competence and an
understanding of other cultures. We believe that to accomplish this, we should help the children
LEARN to do all of the following:
• familiarise themselves with the sounds and written form of a modern foreign language;
• begin to understand a new language, and communicate in it;
• make comparisons between languages;
• learn about different countries and their people, and work with materials from different
countries and communities, thus increasing their awareness of other cultures;
• develop a positive attitude towards the learning of foreign languages in general;
• use their knowledge of the foreign language with growing confidence, both to understand what
they hear and read, and to express themselves in different ways;
• acquire, through all of the above, a sound basis for further study at Key Stage 3 and beyond.
The National Curriculum states that : Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity
and provides an opening to other cultures. (The National Curriculum in England , Key stages One
and Two Framework Document, September 2013.)
At Great Massingham and Harpley, we teach French at Key Stage Two.
The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
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.
(The National Curriculum in England , Key stages One and Two Framework Document,
September 2013.)
We make languages an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a
variety of experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. To this
end, all pupils in KS2 learn languages for no less than 30 minutes per week. This time is made up
of a combination of dedicated language lessons, cross-curricular approaches and using language
for real purposes in daily classroom routines.
Our teaching focuses on developing pupil’s skills and confidence in understanding, reading,
speaking and writing in French. Through practical opportunities, children learn to communicate
for practical purposes and in a wide variety of situations involving different interactions and
audiences. We teach pupils to read and understand text as well as the spoken word so as to
prepare pupils for learning further languages later on. This is of paramount importance in
supporting our children to FLOURISH in the next stages of their learning.
IMPLEMENT
Teacher’s plan using a wide variety of resources to teach French. These are kept in the Key Stage Two
classrooms.
At EYFS and Key Stage One, pupils learn about other cultures through the breadth of their
topic work. They learn about other cultures, their traditions and practices through a variety of
practical ways which include learning phrases and songs in other languages.
At Key Stage Two, our federation uses the national curriculum for languages as the basis for its
curriculum planning. While there are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their
skills and knowledge in each teaching unit, the progression planned into the scheme of work
means that the children are increasingly challenged as they move through both lower and then
upper Key Stage Two. In year six, pupils are also given opportunities for consolidation of their
Languages skills as they prepare to transition to Key Stage Three.
IMPACT
Through formative and summative assessment, we continuously monitor pupils’ progress
We will know our MFL Curriculum is having the desired impact on our children when:
they can talk enthusiastically about their MFL lessons and can
pupils can explain the key vocabulary and use it appropriately in lessons.
Children demonstrate their ability in languages in a variety of different ways. Teachers will
assess children’s work in languages by making informal judgements as they observe them during
lessons. On completion of a piece of work, the teacher assesses the work and gives oral or
written feedback as necessary to inform future progress. Older pupils are encouraged to make
judgements about how they can improve their own work. At the end of a term, the teacher
makes a summary judgement about the work of each pupil in relation to the National Curriculum
and records this assessment.