Modern Foreign Languages Subject Leader - Miss Bradbury
Why I'm passionate about learning languages:
İHola! İBuenos Dias!
I’m Miss Bradbury the lead for MFL and our chosen language at St James’ of Spanish.
I come from a family of language speakers so I’ve always known the joys and sometimes frustrations that learning a language can bring! At the age of seven, I spent over 3 months in France in a French speaking school and had to learn ways to communicate with my classmates. I can still remember the joy of being able to communicate the simplest of phrases to make myself understood. Learning languages open our eyes to new experiences, may enable us to make friends or simply to have fun. “Learning a language is becoming a member of the club- the community of speakers of the language.” FRANK SMITH
So at St James’, let’s join the club of Spanish learning and see where our new found words can take us!
MFL – Spanish at St James Catholic Primary
Although it is not compulsory to teach MFL across KS1, we will informally create opportunities to introduce some Spanish vocabulary through actions, songs and rhymes. Across KS2, the children will have opportunities to speak, listen, read and respond in writing in Spanish.
Curriculum Intent
At St James’, pupils in KS1 and KS2 will be given an opportunity to learn our chosen foreign language; Spanish. We intend to use our scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite and include all our pupils using a wide variety of topics and themes. Pupils will be taught: listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and age-appropriate grammar through cross curricular topics. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning. The intent is that all pupils, including SEND, will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, learn about different cultures and want to be become life-long language learners.
Curriculum Implementation
All classes will have access to a very high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. This will progressively develop pupil language skills through regularly taught and well-planned lessons in Spanish. Our children will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and cross curricular themes. Children will build on previous knowledge gradually and as their foreign language lessons continue, recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language, whilst also building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. All lessons are planned to be inclusive for all pupils (including SEND), each lesson will incorporate whiteboard activities to aid delivery of speaking and listening tasks; reading and writing activities will incorporate three levels of differentiation to enable scaffolding and extension of skills as appropriate. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge. The school has overview of units which outlines which topics will be taught in each class during the academic year to ensure substantial progress and learning is achieved. Pupil learning and progression of the four skills of: speaking, listening, reading and writing will be assessed at least twice throughout each academic year to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.
Curriculum Impact
Since introducing our new scheme of work this academic year, it already clear to see the enjoyment and fun that our KS2 children have had the Autumn term from singing songs about how they feel in Year 3 to delivering weather reports in Y5. Each KS2 class has completed several units; used assessment materials from Language Angels to assess one of their Autumn term topics. This information has been recorded and will be monitored by myself, the MFL Subject Leader, to ensure that the topics and teaching materials are appropriate for each pupil, class and year group.
