Modern Foreign Languages at The Pines

"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things."

Flora Lewis.

Vision and Intent

At The Pines, our vision for the teaching of Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) is that children will have their eyes opened to learning a different language and that the foundational knowledge they acquire will inspire all children to make the most of future opportunities to further their linguistic skills. 

We aim to:

• Provide an engaging, motivating MFL curriculum that promotes a love of languages
• Ensure all children learn the basics of the French language, structure and grammar, enabling them to transfer these skills to other languages at secondary school
• Develop both oral and written language skills through the use of high quality resources 
• Model accurate pronunciation and develop children’s confidence in speaking French

Our Curriculum Drivers are reflected through our MFL curriculum as it:
Helps children understand THEIR PLACE IN OUR WORLD, enabling them to communicate with those from other countries.
Gives children confidence with LANGUAGE & ORACY so they can express themselves to others
Enables children to LEARN the SKILLS of perseverance and learning from mistakes as well as being active learners
Supports children in understanding the importance of self-expression for maintaining a HEALTHY MIND
 

Implementation

At The Pines, we teach French from Years 3 to 6. Children are taught within their normal class groups and lessons are usually taught on a weekly basis. On occasion, lessons may be blocked where this is considered more appropriate.

We use the programme Language Angels to provide the planning and resources to teach the French curriculum. This programme was selected as it can be adapted to suit individual schools' needs, it is an interactive approach with varied resources and it is supportive for non-specialists due to its extensive audio resources using native speakers. In collaboration with the staff at Language Angels, we have developed a 2 year cycle of French units that work alongside our 2 year curriculum cycle. Where links have been possible, French units have been matched to other curriculum areas. 

Children are given opportunities to listen to correct French pronunciation and improve their own spoken language skills as well as developing the skills of reading and writing in French. The interactive approach used includes the use of songs and rhymes as well as developing children's cultural understanding. Children record their learning in exercise books that move through Key Stage 2 with the child to enable them to refer back to prior learning as they improve extend their vocabulary and develop their grammatical understanding.

Language Angels provides assessment tools that enable knowledge and understanding to be assessed and progress recorded which teachers can use to inform their lessons. Our assessment procedures in MFL are to be developed over the coming year.

The following documents provide some additional information about the teaching of MFL at The Pines:

Impact

The impact of our MFL teaching is evidenced through teacher assessment, low-stakes tests and lesson observations. Discussions with children and pupil voice surveys provide evidence of confidence, engagement and attitudes towards languages. The written and spoken outcomes of children’s learning demonstrate that they know more, can do more and remember more in MFL.

 - Children at The Pines have a secure foundational knowledge of French

 - Children’s knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures are on a par with or exceed that of their peers as they move to secondary school

 - Children are confident to speak in French and have improved their oracy skills through their learning

 - Children have a positive attitude towards learning languages