Intent

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.

There are over thirty languages spoken at Arboretum Primary School. We know that by sharing and celebrating these diverse languages, children (regardless of their cultural background) will never feel isolated; in fact, they will feel part of a wider school community where there is an opening to many other cultures around them, deepening world understanding.

At Arboretum Primary School, through our MFL curriculum, we aim to instil in pupils an enthusiasm and confidence for learning languages with a focus on learning French throughout KS2.   Through following the national curriculum for languages, we aim to ensure that pupils build solid foundations for future language learning in KS3 and beyond.  We offer an MFL curriculum that shows clear progression throughout the year groups, builds on prior skills and knowledge and shows a balance between key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. 

Implementation

At Arboretum Primary School, we follow the National Curriculum for languages and have developed a French curriculum that shows progression in key areas of speaking and listening, reading and writing and grammar and vocabulary.  Our French curriculum builds on the pupils’ prior learning, skills and knowledge and provides opportunities to revisit vocabulary to help embed knowledge. 

French is taught throughout KS2 with different year groups implementing the lessons flexibly to meet the needs of their children and the curriculum.  The French curriculum is organised into units of 6, hour-long lessons.  Year 3 children are taught weekly French lessons and cover 6 units of learning within an Academic Year.  Year 4 children are taught French weekly for half of the Academic Year and cover 3 units.  This is to accommodate swimming lessons for the other half of the Academic Year.  Years 5 and 6 work on a 2 year cycle and cover at least 3 core units of learning per Academic Year with the option to cover 3 further optional units.

Each unit of learning provides opportunities for the pupils to engage in a variety of speaking and listening activities e.g. songs, games, repetition of key vocabulary and phrases, questions and answers and partner talk.  Phonics learning is embedded into the units of learning and children learn how to pronounce different sounds in French and spot the sounds as they appear in different words.  The pupils revisit vocabulary they have already learned, they are introduced to new vocabulary and encouraged to remember and embed new knowledge by making connections.  They are given opportunities to read and write newly acquired vocabulary and extend their knowledge and understanding through seeking out new words and phrases.

Impact

• Class teachers’ end of term assessments of pupils’ MFL learning will show an increase in the number of children achieving age related expectations by the end of the year.
• Pupil interviews will show that pupils are making connections between prior and current learning.  Pupils will know more and remember more about MFL.
• Pupil interviews will show that pupils are confident in speaking French at a level appropriate to their year group.
• Samples of pupil work from different year groups will show progression in skills and knowledge (for example, an increase in the amount and complexity of vocabulary and grammar, an increase in the amount and complexity of writing that the pupils are achieving)