“Here in Britain, we find ourselves an island nation in an increasingly global world.  The teaching of cultural capital through MFL encourages children to have a ‘global’ and ‘outward thinking’ view of the world. We want them to develop understanding, tolerance and an appreciation of the rich culture of the countries whose language they are studying. We want to wow them. It doesn’t matter if they have never experienced another culture - they may or may not have – we can give them equity here.”

Pete Baxter, in 'Cultural Capital in MFL'

Intent

At Silver End Academy we follow the 'PlanIt' scheme of learning to teach French, which offers a carefully planned sequence of lessons, ensuring progressive coverage of the skills required by the National Curriculum. Our chosen themes - Time Travelling, Let's Visit a French Town and This Is France - provide an introduction to the culture of French-speaking countries and communities. It aims to foster children’s curiosity and help deepen their understanding of the world. A linear curriculum has been chosen to allow opportunity for children to gradually build on their skills. Learning a Modern Foreign Language enables children to express their ideas and thoughts in the target language and provides opportunities to interact and communicate with others both in speech and in writing. At the heart of our MFL lessons is the desire to expose children to authentic French, so the scheme offers regular opportunities to listen to native speakers.

In Lower KS2, children acquire basic skills and understanding of French with a strong emphasis placed on developing their Speaking and Listening skills. These will be embedded and further developed in Upper KS2, alongside Reading and Writing, gradually progressing onto more complex language concepts and greater learner autonomy.

Through the teaching of a Modern Foreign Language, we intend to inspire pupils to develop a love of languages and to expand their horizons to other countries, cultures and people. We aim to help children grow into curious, confident and reflective language learners and to provide them with a foundation that will equip them for further language studies.

Implementation

Lessons are sequenced so that prior learning is considered and opportunities for revision of language and grammar are built in. Our lessons and resources help children to build on prior knowledge alongside the introduction of new skills. Our lessons aim to provide language structure and context as well as offering an insight into the culture of French-speaking countries and communities. The introduction and revision of key vocabulary and grammatical structures is built into each lesson. This vocabulary is then included in display materials and additional resources so that children have opportunities to repeat and revise their learning. Our chosen French scheme of learning has been designed by a team of language specialists, including French native speakers, so that children are exposed to native speakers when learning to pronounce new words and phrases.

Impact

Using the full range of resources, including display materials, will raise the profile of MFL teaching and learning in our school. We want to ensure that French is loved by pupils across school, therefore encouraging them to embark on further language studies. Through the learning of another language and its culture, children will have an appreciation of the countries and cultures where French is spoken.