Modern Foreign Languages
Modern Foreign Languages at Broadheath
“One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.”
Frank Smith
Our Intent:
The intention of the MFL curriculum at Broadheath Primary School is to inspire our pupils to engage in lessons that excite them and encourage their enthusiasm towards learning a new language.
At our school, the four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught and all necessary grammar is covered in an age-appropriate way across Key stage 2. The children’s understanding of languages is developed by:
- Taking part in oralactivities to develop their skills in speaking a different language.
- Taking part in listeningactivities to develop their skills in listening to a different language.
- Taking part in readingactivities to develop their skills in reading a different language.
- Taking part in writingactivities to develop their skills in writing in a different language.
The knowledge and skills required to excel in this subject are set out in the progression document.
Implementation:
Throughout the school we provide all of our children, from Early years through to Key Stage 2, with rich and varied language learning experiences. Our ‘Language of the term’ focus, and our celebration of ‘European Languages Day’ each year provide opportunities for the children to explore a new language. Each term, the children throughout the school are introduced to a new language and are provided with experiences to learn key words and greetings from this.
This is a fantastic opportunity to explore the wealth of languages spoken by the children at our school and the children themselves love sharing their home language with their peers.
From Key Stage 2, our pupils begin their French language journey. Our MFL French curriculum has been carefully planned and structured to reflect the children’s development of language at different stages of their development.
The pupils are provided with opportunities to develop their language skills ensuring that they practise the four key skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing in French.
Pupils have access to a very high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. This progressively develops pupil skills in foreign languages through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in Year 3 to 6. Using the Language Angels scheme and resources, children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes. The lessons have been carefully planned and structured to suit pupils of all abilities. The language Angels platform offers a multisensory approach to learning, using a wide range of audio, visual and kinaesthetic teaching styles throughout all levels of learning that support working memory and create a ‘like’ and a ‘want’ to learning foreign languages.
Each term we also enhance our learning of French through specially planned topic days led by a French, native speaking teacher, from Kidslingo.
Impact
Using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources ensures we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that inspires and excites our pupils using a wide variety of topics and themes. Pupils continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey throughout Key Stage 2 and are assessed throughout. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate to help children retain their knowledge and skills.
Cultural Capital
What our children think about Modern Foreign Languages:
Je m’apelle Lillie
I like French because I like learning different languages and I find it fun.
Je m’appelle Toby
I really enjoy our French topic days with Aurelie. I enjoyed learning about ‘Schools in France’ and ‘Christmas in France’.
Je m’appelle Preya
I enjoy learning colours and animals in French. I like to play the matching games and singing the songs.
Je m’appelle Ayana
“It is nice to learn a new language and it challenges your brain as languages are not always the same.”