Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

Here at Holy Trinity and St John's Primary School, we aim to ensure pupils develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, predominantly French. Learning a second language offers pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them, with a better awareness of self, key individuals and cultural differences. The intention is that pupils will feel able, excited and encouraged to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2, ultimately working towards becoming life-long language learners.

At HTSJ, we use the Language Angels programme and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad and vibrant foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils using a wide variety of topics and themes. The four key language learning skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) are taught and all necessary grammar covered in an age-appropriate way across key stage 2. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning.

All classes have access to a high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. Pupil skills in foreign languages are developed through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons. Teachers are encouraged to use the programme’s planning and differentiated resources, adapting them where necessary for their children. Lessons offering appropriate levels of challenge and differentiation will be taught at all times to ensure pupils learn effectively, building on their knowledge of and enthusiasm for French. Units, where possible and appropriate, will be linked to class topics and cross curricular themes. Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their French lessons continue to reuse, revise and build on prior learning whilst using all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

As each year passes, units increase in level of challenge, linguistic and grammatical complexity as pupils move from Early Learning units through Intermediate units and into the most challenging Progressive units. Early Learning units (studied in year 3) will start at basic noun and article level and will teach pupils how to formulate short phrases. By the time pupils reach Progressive units (year 5 and 6) they will be exposed to longer texts and will be encouraged to formulate their own, more personalised responses based on a much wider bank of vocabulary, linguistic structures and grammatical knowledge. They will be able to create longer pieces of spoken and written language and are encouraged to use a variety of conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives, opinions and justifications.