MFL

Intent

At Wistaston Academy, we aim to nurture pupils’ curiosity and understanding of the world. We understand the importance of broadening children’s cultural capital and of celebrating other languages and cultures to avoid insularity. At Wistaston Academy, MFL lessons focus on French. As they journey through our school, children will develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and will be prepared for further language learning, having gained an understanding of how to pronounce words in French and the confidence to build simple sentences. The MFL curriculum has been designed to be ambitious and its delivery meets the needs of all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. MFL lessons incorporate progression of vocabulary, phonology and grammar so that pupils can speak with increasing confidence, understand spoken and written language and can write at varying length. Creatively planned MFL lessons ensure pupils learn through the review, recall, practise and application of well-sequenced content which build upon skills taught in other subjects. MFL lessons utilise the skills, knowledge and cultural wealth of the community while supporting the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

We have designed the MFL curriculum with the intent that our pupils will:

Develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in a balanced way
Become language detectives and use their understanding of English to support their language learning
Explore the patterns and sounds of the target language and develop their ability to understand other speakers
Speak in sentences to engage in conversations and develop effective pronunciation so that they can be understood
Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
Progressively encounter languages from Early Years through to Year Six.
Learn new vocabulary that will be embedded in their long-term memory
Develop an understanding of basic grammar to allow them to connect the vocabulary that they have learned
Express their thoughts and ideas through writing at varying length
Develop an awareness of other languages and cultures and treat these with respect
Develop a love for language learning and be prepared for further language studies in KS3 onwards

Implementation

The curriculum is led and overseen by the MFL lead, who works alongside class teachers, to plan, monitor and continually evaluate MFL to ensure it is effective, exciting and continually improving.

The curriculum is implemented through:.

A long-term plan that demonstrates a careful curriculum: one that is interconnected, embeds learning into the long-term memory and introduces new vocabulary, phonology and grammar in a systematic and sequenced manner
Units which are comprised of well planned, exciting and coherent sequences of lessons that are tailored specifically for our children and make connections between previous and new learning
Weekly French lessons that promote ‘overlearning’ of language through repeated recall to embed language into the pupils’ long-term memory
A balanced approach to the progression of the four core skills of language learning: listening, speaking, reading and writing
Lessons that introduce new vocabulary in a sequenced, cumulative manner and revisit vocabulary each year to ensure excellent retention of learning
Progression of basic grammar to enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language
Lessons that develop the pupils’ understanding of the sounds and patterns in the language
A ‘detective’ approach to language that encourages children to use their understanding of other languages
Lessons which draw upon and reinforce skills learnt in other subjects
Lessons which promote a love of languages through the use of stories, songs and games
Regular feedback from teachers which not only addresses misconceptions but also deepens, challenges and supports learning
End of unit learning assessments to track progress
A multicultural awareness and celebration of all languages spoken within our school and wider community
Lessons which develop the pupils’ cultural understanding of the world and of the countries where the target language is spoken
Cross-curricular links with other subjects that embed language learning across the wider curriculum
Displays which promote retention and recall of key vocabulary taught through lessons
Whole school encounters to enthuse a love of language learning and an understanding of other cultures

Impact

Children will be enthusiastic about and enjoy MFL lessons
Half-termly end of unit assessments will demonstrate the majority of children achieve age-related expectations within MFL
Children’s achievements in MFL will be in line with achievements across other subjects
Children will develop increasingly effective pronunciation and be able to converse with other speakers, asking questions and responding correctly
Children will be able to utilise their language to express their own thoughts and ideas through speaking and writing, without overly relying on set phrases
Children will demonstrate an understanding of the sounds and patterns of the language that will allow them to listen to and understand other speakers
Children will make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning
Children will demonstrate excellent retention of prior learning of vocabulary, phonology and grammar
Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND achieve the best possible outcomes in MFL
Children will leave Wistaston Academy with the skills, knowledge and attitude that will allow them to embrace the next stage in their education
Children will celebrate other languages and cultures and will demonstrate a love for language learning
Children will be aware of the importance of learning languages and be able to discuss why we learn languages
Children of all ages at Wistaston Academy will encounter language learning through the core skill of listening
Children will progress to develop all four core skills of language learning and there will be a clear progression of these skills from Year 3 to Year 6

Files to Download

MFL Progression Map MFL Long Term Plan Erasmus Project.pdf