Intent:

At St Pius X, we desire to offer a high quality French education which fosters our pupils’ curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. Through engaging, interactive lessons, and whole school theme days and celebrations, we want children to be able to express their ideas and thoughts in French and also to respond to French speakers in both speech and writing. We also provide opportunities for children to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great French literature. Our MFL curriculum develops cultural capital and provides the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to live as global citizens with the potential to study and work in other countries. 

Through the teaching of MFL, we can also:

• Provide the foundation and enthusiasm for learning further languages
• Support pupils’ understanding of the grammatical structures of the English language
• Provide opportunities to develop learners’ listening skills for both gist and detail
• Develop key presentation skills, allowing for discussion on the use of voice, register and eye contact. 

Implementation:

At St Pius X, our pupils receive a minimum of 30 minute, weekly lessons in French throughout KS2. In order to ensure our pupils receive a high quality French education, we have invested in a high quality scheme of work called ‘Language Angels’. This scheme offers a wide variety of fun, colourful and engaging resources including a variety of worksheets, interactive Whiteboard games, and raps and singalongs to help children get to grips with the language. Teachers build on previous learning with regular retrieval practice and we establish cross-curricular links when possible in order to embed learning. Where appropriate, school visits and visitors are planned to enrich children’s learning and provide meaningful and memorable experiences.
  

The teaching of a language is not expected in KS1 but we believe it is in the best interests of our pupils to expose them to the French language before they reach Year 3. So in Reception and Years 1 and 2, you may hear the register being called in French! Children can learn classic French songs and they will participate in whole school theme days which will give them a strong awareness and foundation for the subject before they commence formal learning in KS2. 

We teach MFL to all children, regardless of ability, as we believe that it is their right to be included and to be able to access the curriculum at their level of understanding. Our teachers provide learning opportunities matched to the individual needs of children with learning difficulties, this may mean pre-teaching or additional sessions with a teaching assistant to reinforce what has been taught. When teaching MFL, we take into account the targets set for individual children and individual learning styles that may need to be catered for.

Language Learning - Progression of skills

Impact:

At St Pius X, we believe that verbal feedback is more appropriate for the development of the spoken language. Assessment is formative and ongoing and gaps and misconceptions are addressed as soon as appropriate. Questioning is used to promote positive discussions and debates and to encourage children to evaluate and improve. For any written work, we similarly encourage verbal feedback as soon as possible, with in-class ‘sweep’ interventions taking place to ensure instant progress. However, in the case of worksheets and if written feedback is appropriate, the marking is completed in  line with St Pius X marking policy. 

Summative, end of unit assessment activities are planned for and set up by the class teacher, which aim to provide pupils with the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the unit. These activities can include activities which focus on the spoken language such as role plays, conversations and games, or focus on the written language such as labelling, creating menus or advertisements etc. Individual and/or class successes are celebrated within class, on displays, in whole-school celebration assemblies and on the school blog. 

Evidence of learning 

Examples and evidence of learning in French lessons are regularly uploaded to the school blog to showcase work and to celebrate success. Where appropriate, worksheets completed by the children will also be kept in their French folders, which can be passed through the years and become a portfolio of their learning.