"Learning another language is not only learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things."

Flora Lewis

Intent

At Minster-in- Sheppey Primary School we aim to teach children another language in order to provide them with a broader understanding of the world around them. Being exposed to a Modern Foreign Language provides a vehicle for us to immerse the children in the multicultural society in which they live, developing their understanding of other cultures and languages. We strive to encourage their curiosity about other cultures and endeavour to make language learning a fun and enjoyable experience, with links across other curriculum subjects, so that our children will go on to develop further at secondary school with an enhanced awareness of their diverse world.

Implementation

At Minster-in-Sheppey Primary we believe that learning MFL provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience that broadens pupils’ understanding of the diverse world they live in. Gaining insight into the lives of others whilst also enabling pupils to reflect upon their own cultural identity drawing parallels and celebrating differences. It supports pupils’ ability to communicate which particular emphasis placed on developing the key skills of speaking and listening and developing greater understanding of how languages work and promotes aspiration in our pupils to explore the wider world through travel, research and so on. From our experience with the children here at Minster, learning a new language provides excitement, enjoyment and challenge using a wide variety of learning approaches to enrich and inspire their learning. Also, due to the fact that the majority of pupils begin at similar starting point, it supports inclusion and a collaborative culture of learning together. We fully believe that learning a language at Primary school provides a springboard into the learning of languages at secondary school supporting transition.

Impact

At the end of each term, pupils at Minster-in-Sheppey Primary would have experienced opportunities to apply their speaking and listening skills using a range of vocabulary they have been taught, encouraging collaboration and challenge. Progress will be assessed through regular monitoring and evaluation of pupil’s learning, against the National Curriculum statements and our progression documents which build on previous learning, knowledge and understanding. Within the scheme there are numerous opportunities for formative assessment through each lesson, as well as exemplar statements to support summative assessment. Retrieval practice is built into each teaching and learning sequence to assess both learning over time and performance to support lesson adaption. The subject leader conducts learning walks, book looks and pupil voice to evaluate the curriculum and help inform future adaptations to our MfL curriculum.