MFL
Our Vision
Our children will have a love of languages and develop their skills and confidence to communicate as a citizen of the world. Through participation in active, meaningful learning, they will discover their place within our multicultural society.
Subject Leader: Gemma Sims
gemma.sims@forestedge.org.uk
"Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift. Learning a new language is becoming a member of the club - the community of speakers of that language."
- Frank Smith
Intent
At the Forest Edge Learning Federation, we believe that learning another language gives children a global perspective, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others. We want our children to have a love of languages and develop increasing confidence when communicating with others both in their own and other languages, laying the foundations for future language learning.
Implementation
Modern Foreign Language teaching at the Forest Edge Learning Federation seeks to give pupils a deeper understanding and control of the French language, which is taught at KS3 within our local secondary schools. Many root words in English are also derived from the French language, so building this understanding of another language will also support children’s understanding and appreciation of their own. Children will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes - building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language. Through this teaching, pupils will learn to listen, speak, read and write with increasing confidence in French when they finish KS2.
French lessons are taught in half-hour sessions weekly across KS2 and incidentally in KS1. Within lessons, our approach to teaching places an emphasis on active learning, with children encouraged to communicate with each other in as many ways as possible. Learning is often linked to games and songs, to support children’s acquisition and retention of new vocabulary. We encourage all teachers to make links wherever possible, particularly in English lessons and around the school.
Across our federation, we have a range of French books, games, songs and dictionaries. To support non-specialist teachers, we subscribe to the Language Angels scheme of learning which is used across the school. This high-quality resource contains songs, videos and audio to support children’s development of the correct pronunciation of the vocabulary they learn. A clear progression underpins the vocabulary, grammar, listening, speaking, reading and writing skills that children will acquire during each phase, to ensure they meet the aims of the national curriculum.
Impact
Our children will be able to understand and communicate using the French language, with increasing confidence and complexity throughout KS2 in line with the national curriculum. Language from previous units will be revisited and built upon in new contexts, supporting progression in the key language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing). Assessment for learning and regular feedback will happen during the teaching of lessons, and a summative assessment task is completed at the end of each unit. Any children who are not making expected progress are identified and this information is passed to the next class teacher and used to provide extra support to these children within lessons. Twice yearly, teachers give feedback to the French subject leader on areas for future development, which can inform subsequent CPD or enrichment days.
