Modern Foreign Languages

At St Michael’s, we believe that the learning of an additional language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our children. We aim for the children to be successful language learners, being motivated and excited to learn about different languages and cultures in the world around them. We want to foster their curiosity and passion for languages enabling the children to see themselves as linguists, giving them a new perspective on the world, broadening their horizons and understanding that languages open doors and offer opportunities for the future. We believe that it is vital to provide our pupils with an opportunity to acquire new languages and skills, equipping them to see language study as an opportunity for the future, by living and working in other countries. 

We aim for high quality language teaching to stimulate and encourage enjoyment and curiosity, helping the children to understand that languages enrich us, open lines of communication and support us to appreciate diversity. 

Learning French across Years 3 – 5 and Spanish in Year 6 broadens children's experiences of languages, enabling them to make links in their learning, understanding that language skills are transferable. In teaching two languages at St. Michael’s, the foundations are laid for future language learning and the children are able to make an informed decision about which language(s) they would like to continue to develop (or begin) at secondary school. 

The curriculum is led and overseen by the MFL Lead. A regular programme of monitoring, evaluation and review is in place to ensure that the teaching of MFL continues to improve and evolve. 

The MFL curriculum intends to develop children’s knowledge and skills in 4 key areas, throughout Key Stage Two:   

Listening - To listen to and explore sounds, responding to words and phrases and understand key points of speech or text. Pupils will enjoy games, songs and stories, listening to learn so that they can problem solve, work out meanings and use what they already know to make connections in a second language. 

Speaking – To develop the pupils’ ability to express themselves confidently and with respect. Pupils will respond with words and phrases, ask questions, give detail and use correct pronunciation and intonation. 

Reading – Pupils read and understand words and phrases in texts. They are able to match sound to print and understand key features and patterns of basic syntax and grammar, supporting the English curriculum. 

Writing- To copy, label and write a growing number of words, substituting grammar to personalise sentences from models and increase independence when writing. 

• The curriculum map sets out learning linked to key questions and topics for each year group in KS2. 

• Teachers use subject leader knowledge organisers to ensure coverage and progression of skills within the MFL curriculum. 

• Key Stage Two pupils are taught in weekly, discrete whole-class sessions (30 minutes) and are taught together, working on the same subject content at the same time. 

• Children learn through an interactive lesson model which includes a range of stories, games and songs so that the strands of the national curriculum can be delivered. 

• The MFL curriculum, where appropriate, makes links with the skills taught in English grammar. 

• Writing is increasingly evident in Years 5 and 6 as knowledge and independence in MFL grow.   

Our MFL curriculum will ensure all pupils develop key language learning skills set out by the national curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures. 

Our pupils will enjoy the experience of learning a foreign language and acquire new skills which they can further develop throughout their school careers.The clear progression through the key stage will enable children to articulate what they have learned, and make links to prior learning. Revisiting key vocabulary and grammatical features will enable pupils to apply their learning using increasingly sophisticated sentences, both spoken and written. Ongoing assessment informs teachers and supports their planning, lesson activities and differentiation. The progression documents support this. 

Varied learning experiences, including having Spanish visitors, will ensure that languages are celebrated throughout the school community. This provides a context for language learning and develops the children’s understanding of different cultures, giving them purpose and meaning. Monitoring will show that cross curricular links are being made, supporting children to develop their mother-tongue literacy skills as well as cross-curricular features such as numeracy, thinking, geographical skills, and cultural understanding. 

Pupil voice demonstrates that pupils feel fulfilled and enthused about their MFL learning. 

In Early Years, we believe it is very important for children to learn about other backgrounds, cultures and traditions, including other languages. We provide many opportunities for children to explore the wider world around them through stories, visitors and special wow moments throughout their time in Foundation Stage. During registration, children are introduced to a wide variety of ‘good mornings’ including those home languages, of peers in their class.