Curriculum Implementation

MFL structures the curriculum into a 3-year Key Stage 3 and a 2 year KS4. The curriculum is a progressive model

Subject specialists have given consideration and thought to the sequence and rationale of the curriculum; why we teach the content we do and in the order that we do. This is to ensure knowledge is not isolated information; it is connected knowledge that enables comprehension.

At Key Stage 3, the full National Curriculum is delivered. The MFL curriculum is organised into units with topics. Each unit builds on prior knowledge allowing connections to be made and enables knowledge to be transferable. In MFL we believe this facilitates deeper comprehension. The unit and topic content taught is chosen so lessons focus on developing deeper understanding and capacity for skilful performance.

At Key Stage 4, the full AQA GCSE French/Spanish is delivered. However, knowledge development is not restricted to the specification. Content is structured into topics within themes. The curriculum is designed to ensure students value languages as a skill for life, their cultural knowledge is stimulated whilst developing their language skills. Each lesson builds on prior learning, allowing connections to be made between content and topics have been organised and designed to promote learning and provide depth and breadth of understanding

Student voice has been conducted to ensure that students have a contribution to the curriculum content. This has resulted in more cultural capital being introduced throughout lessons.

The MFL Department is a member of the Association for Language Learning and works alongside the School Improvement Partners to quality assure our curriculum and ensure that it provides a high quality and comprehensive curriculum for all.

Pedagogical approach

The pedagogical approach for MFL adheres to the LLT Teaching and Learning Policy. Subject specialists deliver the MFL curriculum through five 55-minute lessons per fortnight

Rosenshine and ‘Teach Like a Champion’ strategies are implemented in all lessons and lesson episodes are designed to enable students to store knowledge into the long-term memory.

Lessons

Tasks and activities are engaging and whenever possible are linked to local context, careers and progression and develop cultural capital. Examples include festivals celebrated in the Francophone and Hispanic speaking world.

Lessons are structured to enable students to review/retrieve prior knowledge and activate it to make connections with new learning. This is through ‘Do It Now’ tasks at the start of each lesson

In each lesson, students are informed what they are learning and what the outcomes for the lesson are. We call these ‘WALT’ (What we are all learning today,) and ‘WILF’ (What I’m Looking For.)

New information is delivered in small steps and models are provided to support student comprehension. For example, the introduction of different tenses or use of infinitive structures.

Lessons provide opportunities for students to practice applying their new learning. This may include guided and/or independent practice.

Questioning is used to inform adaptive teaching, and this includes techniques such as ‘right is right’ to ensure students accurately and clearly articulate their responses.

Students are asked to complete practical based activities such as regular speaking activities, mini whiteboard work and paired work to ensure students can collaborate when developing language and to ensure regular spoken practice to facilitate knowledge acquisition.

Students develop essential knowledge and then apply it in activities that ‘bring it all together.’ This ensures they connect knowledge and learning.

We assess an ever expanding curriculum. Assessment takes place in the form of formative and summative assessment tasks. These are carefully considered and link directly to the curriculum intent for the half term. Summative assessment samples from the whole curriculum to date – not just what has been most recently taught

Clear ‘essential knowledge reading’ activities are provided to support reading development and provide depth and breadth to the curriculum. MFL examples include articles in English which develop cultural knowledge and capital and authentic texts to see language in context.

Literacy

In MFL teachers:

Clearly communicate their subject discipline using appropriate vocabulary. This includes the use of command words, vocabulary lists, Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary

MFL reading materials are carefully selected to develop reading and comprehension skills. The MFL department teach reading comprehension strategies through identifying common barriers to reading in target language. We provide support for students so they can access challenging texts such as focussing on language understood, breaking down language with word families and using context and wider world experiences to decode language.

In MFL we provide opportunities for students to ‘bring together’ knowledge developed. This is through extended writing tasks or spoken work.

To develop oracy the MFL uses:

Appropriate vocabulary choice with a focus on language register and grammar. Moreover, there is a focus on clarity of pronunciation and phonics and promoting confidence in speaking.

In MFL mistakes are welcome as it’s how we learn and we encourage students to have a go in order to remove some of the stigma around speaking languages. We believe that languages are so much more than vocabulary and grammar and so we regularly promote festivals and celebrations across the school whilst also offering trips abroad to give students the opportunity to experience languages in real life and actively seeking out ways to weave culture through our Schemes of Learning.