Modern Foreign Languages
Intent
At Hugh Gaitskell Primary School we believe that the learning of a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for the pupils. Our pupils (our Voyagers) come from different walks of life, sometimes from near and most times from all over the world. Despite the English language serving our school as a Modern Foreign Language, we still desire to enrich our children’s learning with another language - Spanish.
“Soy poderoso, Soy fuerte, - I am powerful, I am strong”
“In the knowledge society of the 21st century, language competence and intercultural understanding are not optional extras; they are an essential part of being a citizen. Language skills are also vital in improving understanding between people here and in the wider world, and in supporting global citizenship by breaking down barriers of ignorance and suspicion between nations.
Learning other languages gives us insight into the people, culture and traditions of other countries, and helps us to understand our own language and culture.” (LANGUAGES FOR ALL – LANGUAGES FOR LIFE (DFE)
The intention of the Spanish curriculum at Hugh Gaitskell Primary School is that children are taught to develop an interest in learning other languages in a way that is enjoyable and stimulating. We encourage children’s confidence and creative skills. We strive to stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language. We help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries. We strive to embed the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary to enable children to use and apply their Spanish learning in a variety of contexts and lay the foundations for future language learning. We understand that learning foreign languages can help children to be fluent between layers or tiers of society. At Hugh Gaitskell we help children to become empowered and strong and view and value MFL as one of the tools to reach the desired level of emancipation and/or independence.
Implementation
Our MFL curriculum is designed to progressively develop children's skills in languages, through regular taught lessons. Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary organised around topics. Children are encouraged and supported to develop their speaking and listening skills through conversational work, singing activities and games. As confidence and skill grow, children record their work through pictures, captions and sentences. All our children in KS2 have regular language lessons.
Impact
The learning challenges used to plan and teach MFL, ensure that children are accessing work at age-related expectations, with regular opportunities to be challenged through higher-level objectives. Children are assessed according to age-related expectations in line with curriculum requirements. This is done in line with the school assessment calendar. This information is recorded and monitored by the coordinator.