Modern Foreign languages

TEACH              NURTURE           CELEBRATE

Our Curriculum aims and design have been developed in line with the needs of St James CE Primary School community, promoting the Christian Values we hold dear. Our curriculum is ambitious and well-planned to ensure all pupils gain ample knowledge and skills to succeed in their next stage of education and life after primary school.

The aims are also based heavily on our school vision of Teach, Nurture and Celebrate in order that children should experience ‘Life in all its fullness’ (John 10:10). All stakeholders were involved in creating the vision and aims, including: pupils, parents, PTFA, and staff members at all levels.

SMSC is embedded throughout our curriculum design. The aspect of Spirituality is a particular focus for us.

The St James Curriculum was chosen and adapted to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to meet Key Stage requirements and allow for smooth transition to the next phase of education. We re-designed our curriculum to enable children to experience a more enquiry-based approach. This allows children to develop key skills and seek vital knowledge through exploring big questions and concepts.

At St. James our curriculum is:

• Rich in powerful knowledge, skills and vocabulary, which are specified, taught, assessed and remembered by pupils
• Well-planned and sequenced so that key concepts are built on year by year in a clear and logical progression.
• Rooted in the strongest available evidence about how pupils learn and retain knowledge in the long term.
• A well designed, cumulative curriculum structure, starting with EYFS provision, ensuring prior knowledge is always a pre-cursor to study.
• Reflective of core British values which are embedded within the curriculum ensuring children are taught tolerance, respect and individual liberties through the conscious curriculum choices made.

Intent

At St. James CE Primary School we teach a foreign language to all KS2 children as part of the normal school curriculum. We believe that many children enjoy learning to speak another language and that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language in question is acquired.

We also believe that it is beneficial to introduce a new language to children when they are at primary school, as they tend to be less self-conscious about speaking aloud at this stage of their development. It is widely believed that the early acquisition of a foreign language facilitates the learning of other foreign languages later in life.

Aims of Languages (MFL) Curriculum

 The main objective of teaching a modern foreign language in primary school is to promote the early development of a child's linguistic competence.

 In addition, we are aiming to:

• Foster an interest in learning other languages;
• Introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable;
• Make young children aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another;
• Help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries;
• Develop their speaking and listening skills;
• Lay the foundations for future study.

We have a clearly set out LTP and knowledge and skills progression for languages. All teachers follow this when delivering language lessons.

Expectation in Languages

At the end of KS2 children should:

• 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.

The implemented curriculum

 We have used the best research and trial and investigation to find a language program that works for us. At St James, we use Language Angels which provides us with a well-sequenced and progressive curriculum map containing the key concepts children need to be procedurally fluent in and to develop the confidence and competence of each child in French.

 The key concepts in languages we plan a progression for are as follows-

• Phonics
• Grammar
• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing

 Our curriculum is based on the guidance given in the national curriculum and the We apply the four attainment targets for MFL to Key Stage 2 and have devised a progressive and sequential curriculum map covering the four key concepts.

• AT1: Listening and responding
• AT2: Speaking
• AT3: Reading and responding
• AT4: Writing

However, we do not give equal weight to each of these skills in each unit taught. For example, in the initial stages of our teaching, we place particular emphasis on speaking.

The impact of our curriculum

At St. James CE Primary School, we have a concise whole school shared definition of learning: ‘Learning is a change in long term memory.’ In order to identify the impact our curriculum is having on our pupils, teachers employ a range of assessment strategies both at the point of teaching and after.

Regular assessment of pupil needs and understanding plays a vital role here as does the provision of appropriate resources, the internet and our whiteboards offer a wealth of materials that can be matched to suit individual or group needs, enabling all pupils to develop their language skills.

At St James CE Primary children should be assessed against their progress in understanding and applying language skills against the curriculum map. This will be self-evident from the work produced in a situation where no teacher support is given once a task has been assigned.