MFL – French

Statement of Intent for MFL

Spiral Curriculum

MFL has a spiral curriculum, which allows teachers to revisit previous knowledge, while adding more sophisticated vocabulary and sentence structures. This gives children throughout KS2 the confidence to manipulate and rephrase language in order to complete reading, writing, listening or speaking tasks. Pupils are encouraged to make links with previously taught language across units, to avoid them seeing language as something which is fixed. Model sentences provide the scaffolding needed to use a foreign language successfully.

Intent

The intention of the French curriculum at Canon Popham C of E Primary Academy is that children are taught to develop an interest in learning other languages in a way that is enjoyable and stimulating. We encourage children’s confidence and creative skills. We strive to stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language. We help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries. We wish to instil and foster pupil’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world beyond the United Kingdom opening up their knowledge experiences to other cultures. We strive to embed the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary to enable children to use and apply their French learning in a variety of contexts and lay the foundations for future language learning.

Implementation

At Canon Popham C of E Primary Academy, the core language taught in Key Stage 2 is French. Our planning is based upon the La Jolie Ronde scheme of work that covers all the components of the National Curriculum Programme of Study. Our MFL curriculum is spiral and is designed to progressively develop children’s skills in languages, through regular taught lessons which revisit knowledge, skills and vocabulary. Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary organised around topics. Children are encouraged and supported to develop their speaking and listening skills through conversational work, singing activities and games. As confidence and skill grows, children record their work through pictures, captions and sentences. All our children in KS2 will have regular language lessons.

Impact

Our impact in teaching a modern foreign language:

  • To develop an interest in learning other languages.

  • To stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language.

  • To encourage children to be aware that language has a structure and that the structure differs from one language to another.

  • To help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries. To develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills.

  • The overall impact of MFL at Canon Popham C of E Primary Academy, is that all children in KS2 will access first quality teaching of French in order to prepare and lay the foundations for secondary education and future language learning.