MFL: French

Modern Foreign Languages - French Intent

Our MFL curriculum is designed to develop children’s skills in French, through regular lessons with a specialist teacher. Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of French vocabulary organised around topics. They build on prior knowledge and gradually learn to speak, listen, read and write simple conversational French. We make links with SMSC and the Core Values, tackling tasks with confidence when children are out of their comfort zones, building the resilience needed in secondary schools and beyond. We also promote positive attitudes to diversity when learning about other languages, cultures and places.

Learning a foreign language is an integral part of belonging to a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality language 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.

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.

MFL: French - Implementation

At Garfield Primary:

Children have weekly French lessons with a specialist teacher in KS2, using the Language Angels programme of study and additional resources from Kapow. It is intended that when children leave Garfield, they will have the motivation and confidence to explore other countries, cultures and languages, knowing that, in a multi-lingual society it is a valuable skill to communicate with others in another language. It is our aim that they will be engaged language learners prepared to continue language learning at High School.

Pupils are taught to:

1. listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
2. explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
3. engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help 
4. speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures, develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
5. present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
6. read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
7. appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
8. broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
9. write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clear
10. describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
11. understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

MFL: French - Impact

We want children to become confident and successful Linguists, with understanding of what the subject will bring to their lives and the links within their local and wider community. In KS2, assessment takes place throughout the year and at the ends of topics. Progress in French is recorded against National Curriculum expectations for each KS2 year group. This information is used to inform future lessons, ensuring children are supported and challenged appropriately. Assessment data is analysed to inform and address any trends or gaps in attainment. Further information is gathered through pupil voice activities, highlighting strengths, achievements and any recommendations for improvements, knowledge and skills that need to be embedded. Each part of the MFL: French curriculum is reviewed by the subject leader.