Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at Sutton Bonington

Curriculum Intent

At Sutton Bonington Primary School we aim to provide an engaging, high-quality education in Foreign Languages (French) which fosters a love of learning about other languages and cultures and deepens children’s understanding and appreciation of the richness and diversity of the world in which they live. We want our children to develop the confidence to communicate and express themselves in the target language and to find enjoyment and a sense of achievement in doing so. By the end of KS2, they should be fully prepared and eager to embark upon the next stage of their language-learning journey.

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
2. explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
3. engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help 
4. 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
5. read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
6. appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
7. broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
8. write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clear
9. describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
10. understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine and masculine forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Curriculum Implementation

At Sutton Bonington Primary School children in KS2 have weekly 40 minute lessons in French using the ‘Language Angels’ scheme of work. The curriculum incorporates all four key skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing and includes relevant grammatical features. Teachers follow the sequence of lessons from this scheme of work, adapted to suit our pupils, covering a wide variety of topics and themes. Progression is achieved through reviewing and consolidating knowledge gained in previous lessons and using these foundations to build upon and extend learning. Lessons are stimulating and interactive and children play an active role in their learning.

Curriculum Impact

Monitoring (including book scrutiny and pupil voice) is conducted by the MFL Lead. This should provide evidence that pupils have had opportunities for practice and refinement of all four skills from Year 3 to Year 6 in line with the National Curriculum and demonstrate that pupils, over time, expand their vocabulary and develop an understanding of grammar and language structure enabling them to communicate in French with another person.

The Language Angels scheme includes tracking and assessment, so curriculum coverage can be monitored on a regular basis and pupil progress measured and recorded. The Subject Lead maintains an ongoing dialogue with teaching staff to gain feedback and provide support.

The use of French is embedded in classroom transactions (register, date, asking to use the toilet etc) to ensure that opportunities for using the target language are exploited fully and children are comfortable and confident in speaking. Children demonstrate an enthusiastic and positive attitude to language learning.