MFL

Intent

At Radcliffe Primary we believe the skills, knowledge and understanding gained through learning a language contribute to the development of children’s oracy and literacy and to their understanding of their own culture and those of others. At Radcliffe Primary School, we teach French and we feel that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language in question is acquired. We believe that the early acquisition of French will facilitate the learning of other foreign languages later in life. We aim to prepare children for the KS3 language curriculum to enable them to transfer confidently and successfully.

Implementation

Our formal MFL curriculum begins in KS2 in line with National Curriculum programme of study.

Pupils will be taught to:

listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
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
present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing

We use the Culturethque programme to support teachers in their delivery of French lessons. Lessons are taught weekly and the children record their learning in designated French books.

Impact

The class teacher will continually carry out formative assessment in French lessons. This will be done through questioning, observations, discussions and evidence in their books. Teachers will then assess whether they are WT, WTP, WA, AG or GD. This information is then used to inform future planning. The Reasoning curriculum team is responsible for keeping an overview of the standard of children’s work and for the quality of teaching. The work of the curriculum team also involves supporting colleagues, being informed about current developments and providing a strategic lead and direction for the subject in the school.

French Overview