Modern Foreign Languages

Pupils in Years 3-6 study Spanish in discrete weekly sessions using the Language Angels programme. Our aim is for pupils to become confident, passionate and curious about languages and other cultures.

Our curriculum is organised using three stages of learning – Early, Intermediate and Progressive - to ensure pupils build on previous knowledge and extend their learning throughout Key Stage 2. Pupils in Year 6 also study French in the summer term in order to ensure a smooth transition into their secondary school language learning.

• Early learning units are aimed at classes that are just starting out in their foreign language learning journey and these lessons work mostly on vocabulary, single nouns (with article/determiner), first-person high-frequency verbs, building up memory skills and formulating very short simple sentences from memory by the end of each unit. This allows for short conversations, simple role-play and simple written activities.
• Intermediate units build on early learning and work at phrase level. More grammar is incorporated into the lessons, more vocabulary is presented in each unit and there is a more explicit teaching approach to grammar, phonics and vocabulary. Longer reading and listening exercises are provided and more is expected in terms of oral responses and written work. Pupils are expected to incorporate negative responses, use simple adjectival agreement, and use a variety of conjunctions and opinions.
• Progressive units are the most challenging and are aimed at classes that have solid foreign language learning foundations in place. The lessons contain more content and the pace is faster as more language is presented to the children. Progressive units encourage children to produce longer, more complex written paragraphs and speak more fluently and accurately from memory. Pupils are also encouraged to recall, reuse and recycle language learnt in previous units and from other teaching types. 

Some principles that underpin our approach to teaching and learning foreign languages:

• Pupils are taught through whole-class interactive teaching, with many opportunities to listen, repeat and practise new vocabulary. Additional practice and spaced retrieval is facilitated using worksheets, games and songs.

• The ‘three pillars of language learning’ (phonics, grammar and vocabulary) are built into our lessons and units and we develop the learning and use of these core linguistic pillars across our three different teaching types. We do not see them as three separate pillars as they are all intrinsically linked.
• Lessons include a balance of speaking, listening, reading and writing activities from the very start. Pupils are taught these skills and are given opportunities to practise them in every lesson.
• Cultural learning forms an integral part of the curriculum in addition to language lessons. Pupils should develop an understanding of the geography and culture of different Spanish and French-speaking countries.