Our MFL Curriculum……..

‘Languages are an integral part of the curriculum. Learning a language is ‘a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures’. It helps to equip pupils with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. It encourages pupils to appreciate and celebrate difference. The languages curriculum should also provide the foundation for learning further languages. It should enable pupils to study and work in other countries. In doing this, the languages curriculum has a potential positive impact on business and the economy.’ (Ofsted Research Review, June 2021)

At St Mary’s, we believe that languages should be studied and encountered by all children- giving them positive attitudes to other languages, countries and cultures. Languages can open a child’s eyes to the wider world around them as they learn and can add cultural capital and aspirations to achieve. Languages are a key skill for life and work in the modern world.

At St. Mary’s, our MFL curriculum meets the statutory requirements outlined in the National Curriculum (2014). It is organised and to developed to create a systematic and connected curriculum to ensure progression in knowledge and development of skills.

Our Curriculum

Our chosen language, Spanish, is taught using the Kapow Scheme of Work. Weekly lessons take place in Key Stage 2.

Kapow follows the ‘3 Pillars of Progression’ from the Ofsted Research Review: Phonics, Vocabulary and Grammar and sets them into 2 skills strands- ‘Language Comprehension’ and ‘Language Production’. The careful interplay of these strands across the KS2 curriculum ensures that pupils understand and are able to speak the language.

Phonics- Explicit teaching of critical phonemes focuses on both pronunciation and the sound-spelling link. ‘Mouth mechanics’ videos, which native speakers present, support this learning by including an in-depth look at the shape of the mouth when creating each phoneme.

Vocabulary- The scheme introduces the most commonly used words, especially simple and common verbs. Pupils then revisit these, in different contexts, to commit the vocabulary to their long-term memory.

Grammar- Grammar is explicitly taught and systematically revisited to ensure that basic structures are committed to memory before more complex ones are introduced. Lessons are organised to practise grammar in speaking, listening, reading and writing through carefully scaffolded activities.

This approach is the spiral curriculum: