St Thomas More Primary MFL Curriculum

At St Thomas More Primary our vision is for all pupils in key stage two to begin to develop a curiosity for other cultures and instil a love for learning different languages while gaining a better understanding of their place in global society. We want pupils to be given opportunities to gain confidence and enjoyment to become independent learners and be able to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively using another language both spoken and in written form, leading onto further study in key stage three.

Through our Catholic teaching we will deliver high quality language lessons where pupils are able to engage with simple conversations, ask and answer questions, express their opinions and respond to others. Children are taught active listening skills, learning to distinguish the different sounds and patterns of a foreign language. The children build their ability from listening to single words and sounds, to beginning to distinguish detail. Vocabulary forms a key part of our curriculum and in French is taught discretely in every lesson. Children begin to build a bank of vocabulary throughout their journey through KS2, allowing them to develop more detailed responses and descriptions in their French language work. Children will begin to learn how to read and write French words and develop an understanding of an alternative phonic code by learning to recognise words, use different pronunciations and write simple sentences. Children will learn about France, where it is? What countries surround it? and develop an understanding of places and customs French people follow. We also aim to give pupils a foundation for language learning that encourages and enables pupils to apply their skills to learning further languages while facilitating future study and opening opportunities to study and work in other countries in the future. 

Our MFL curriculum will ensure all pupils develop key language learning skills set out by the National Curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures.

• Understand and respond to simple spoken and written language (French)

• Develop active listening skills which will help them to distinguish the different sounds and patterns of a foreign language.
• Speak with increasing confidence, finding ways of communicating what they want to say by building a bank of vocabulary through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation
• Can write key words and simple sentences, building on their phonetic understanding and length as they learn more.
• Learning about the culture and customs of other countries, comparing any similarities and differences to their own culture and their experiences