Intent

The aim of MFL teaching at Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy is to stimulate the children’s interest and gain an understanding about the multicultural society we live in and other cultures. Thus, they learn to value their own and other people’s cultures in modern multicultural Britain.

In our school, we believe that 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. The natural links between languages and other areas of the curriculum can enhance the overall teaching and learning experience. The skills, knowledge and understanding gained make a major contribution to the development of children’s oracy and literacy and to their understanding of their own culture/s and those of others. Language also lies at the heart of ideas about individual identity and community, and learning another language can do a great deal to shape children’s ideas in this critical area as well as giving them a new perspective on their own language. 

The aims of MFL in our school are:

  • foster an interest in learning another language
  • become aware that language has a structure, and that this structure differs from one language to another
  • develop speaking and listening skills
  • gain enjoyment, pride and a sense of achievement
  • explore and apply strategies to improve their learning
  • explore their own cultural identities and those of others

 

Implementation

At Corpus Christi Catholic Primary Academy we will use a variety of teaching and learning styles in our MFL lessons. Our principal aim is to develop children’s knowledge, skills, and understanding. Children will have the opportunity to support their work with a variety of resources. We will aim for a balance of whole class, group and independent learning. Wherever possible we encourage children to use and apply their learning in other areas of the curriculum; ICT, PE and Music, for example, are particularly appropriate for cross-curricular teaching.

Our chosen MFL is French and we follow the La Jolie Ronde Scheme of Work.

Each lesson should include:

  • learning French vocabulary
  • asking and answering questions
  • teaching of basic French grammar and spelling patterns
  • playing games and learning songs
  • using language that has been taught in role play situations
  • researching and learning about life in France
  • beginning to write phrases and sentences

 

MFL lesson are taught fortnightly to all Key Stage 2 pupils.

We recognise the fact that in all classes there are children of widely different abilities in MFL and we seek to provide suitable learning opportunities for all children by matching the challenge of the activity to the ability of the child in the context of the curricular goal. We achieve this by:

  • setting common tasks which are open ended and can have a variety of responses
  • setting tasks of increasing difficulty. Not all children complete all tasks
  • grouping children by ability in the room and setting different tasks for each ability group
  • providing resources of different complexity depending on the ability of the child
  • using classroom assistants to support children individually or in groups

 

Impact

Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate. Teachers will have a clear overview of what they are working towards and if they are meeting these criteria. Pupils will be aware of their own learning goals and progression as for each unit teachers prepare unit markers for children which offer a pupil friendly overview so that all pupils can review their own learning at the start and at the end of each unit. They will know and will be able to articulate if they have or have not met their learning objectives. Children are expected to make good progress in their foreign language learning and their individual progress is tracked and reported to pupils and parents / carers in line with school recommendations.

 

Please click on the links below to find out more about our French planning.

Please view the additional documents in school:

  • French Knowledge and Skills Progression
  • French Vocabulary Progression
  • French Unit Markers