At Newlaithes we believe that the learning of a language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils. It helps them to develop communication skills, including key skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The children’s knowledge of how language works will be developed and extended. Lessons will enable pupils to make substantial progress in French. The linguistic skills gained will assist and lay foundations for further language learning. It will provide pupils with the confidence and independence to explore and be able to attempt manipulation of the structure of language. Learning another language gives children a new and broader perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others.

Our school follows the Primary Languages Network scheme of work. It is a live scheme which is continually updated and revised in order to meet with current curriculum standards. Alongside the planning provided, the network also enriches this through accompanying PowerPoints, pod casts (spoken by native speakers) links to authentic literature, songs, games, culture points of reference and links to appropriate websites. To promote an active learning of languages a range of teaching methods are implemented to ensure that the children are developing their linguistic skills through listening, speaking, reading and writing in order to be secondary ready. Our children’s skills will progress through four threshold concepts: read fluently, write imaginatively, speak confidently, understand the culture of the country in which the language is spoken. Interweaved through the curriculum will be our knowledge categories of verbs, nouns, adjectives and the alphabet. Activities children complete can consist of actions, rhymes, stories, song, drama, grammar focus, video clips, air writing, sentence structure, dictionary work, book making and many more creative ways to extend, embed and combine language skills.

We aim for all children at Newlaithes to be competent linguists and to reach the expected standard in MFL at the end of each year. Our curriculum ensures that children develop an interest in and a love of learning lanaguages which enables them to succeed throughout their journey at Newlaithes and be fully prepared for the next stage of their languages education.

We have developed our MFL curriculum based on the National Curriculum, identified the key skills and knowledge which we want children to learn and consequently make judgements against this criteria during and at the end of the year enabling us to measure the impact teaching and learning has. The majority of assessment which takes place is formative assessment allowing teachers to adapt their planning to match the needs of the children.

The MFL subject leader monitors the impact of the French curriculum through protected monitoring time during which they complete a range of activities: lesson observations; scrutiny of planning and work; speaking to staff and children and analysing assessment data (introduced summer 2022). This process is quality assured by the Senior Leadership Team and agreed actions are added to subject leader action plans.