“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”
Nelson Mandela
“You live a new life for every new language you speak. Those who know no foreign language know nothing of their mother tongue. One who speaks only one language is one person, but one who speaks two languages is two people. Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom.”
Anon
French Lead in school – Mr R King
Curriculum Intent
Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) is the development of children’s linguistic competence. At Toner Avenue School we believe it should be seen as a lifelong skill. Learning a language opens up avenues of communication and exploration as well as promoting, encouraging and instilling a broader cultural understanding, therefore entitling children to take part in a range of activities which develop an understanding of other cultures. We aim to develop an enthusiastic and positive attitude to other languages and language learning, develop language skills and language learning skills, and ensure children enjoy some degree of success in learning a new language;
Curriculum Implementation
We aim for all pupils at Toner Avenue School to:
- understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
- speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
- write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
- discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
Curriculum Impact
Staff at Toner Avenue School are able to carefully plan well sequenced and level-appropriate lessons for each unit. Through the use of summative assessment in addition to ongoing formative assessment, teachers are able to assess children’s knowledge and skills regularly. Their French knowledge is frequently revisited as they move through the school. The French subject lead monitors the impact termly in the form of planning and work scrutinies, pupil discussions and lesson observations/learning walks.
As well as assessing the skills, knowledge and understanding that children have developed in the subject, we also consider their level of enjoyment, engagement and enthusiasm.
Inclusion and Equal Opportunities:
The teaching of MFL gives every child a chance to take part and enjoy a new language. It can provide a boost to those children who have difficulties in other areas of the curriculum. Tasks are differentiated to meet the needs of all pupils and extra support, or extension, given when necessary. The MFL policy supports the Equal Opportunities Policy of the whole school by regarding all pupils as equal. Activities and resources take into account gender and multicultural issues therefore ensuring that children whatever their backgrounds are entitled to the same, without any form of discrimination.
