Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) at St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School

At St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, we are committed to instilling a lifelong love of language learning and fostering an awareness and understanding of other cultures. Through our French curriculum, we aim to develop our children's confidence in communicating for practical purposes, laying a strong foundation for future language studies as they progress into secondary school and beyond.

Our Approach to MFL

We have chosen to use the Kapow Primary scheme of work to deliver our modern foreign languages curriculum to Key Stage 2. The Kapow French programme is designed with six core strands that run throughout the curriculum:

• Speaking and pronunciation
• Listening
• Reading and writing
• Grammar
• Intercultural understanding
• Language detective skills

Our long-term curriculum map and skills and knowledge progression document ensure that these key areas are covered systematically, with skills and knowledge building upon previous learning to enable our children to meet the attainment targets by the end of Key Stage 2.

Practical Communication and Cross-Curricular Links

Through the Kapow Primary scheme, our children are given opportunities to communicate for practical purposes around familiar subjects and routines. The programme provides a balance of spoken and written French, beginning with a focus on oral skills. The spiral curriculum allows for key skills and vocabulary to be revisited repeatedly with increasing complexity, reinforcing and building upon previous learning.

Engaging Lessons and Differentiation

Our French lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies, including independent tasks, paired and group work, role-play, language games, and language detective activities. This variety of approaches helps to engage and challenge our children, catering to different learning styles and abilities.

Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson, ensuring that all our children can access and enjoy their French learning. To further support retention, we provide information about how to incorporate French into the classroom environment on a daily basis.

Impact and Progression

The impact of our French curriculum is continuously monitored through both formative and summative assessment. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives, allowing us to track individual progress and identify areas for further development.

By the time our children leave St. Joseph's, they will be equipped with a range of language-learning skills to enable them to study French, or any other language, with confidence at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

Conclusion

At St. Joseph's Catholic Primary School, our French curriculum is designed to instil a love of language learning and an appreciation for diverse cultures. Through our carefully structured programme, we aim to develop our children's practical communication skills, foster cross-curricular connections, and provide engaging, differentiated lessons that prepare them for future language studies. By aligning our MFL provision with our school's vision and values, we strive to nurture well-rounded, confident, and globally-minded citizens.