MFL is led by Mrs Wilson

At Nursteed, our aim in MFL (modern foreign language) is to provide pupils with well-rounded knowledge in the basics of Spanish.  We want to teach pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings through speaking, listening, reading and writing Spanish.

Spanish is taught once a week during a 30 minute interactive, multimedia lesson using a language learning scheme called Linguascope.  As the teaching and learning of Spanish at Nursteed is a new subject for us (we previously taught French) all KS2 year groups are working at the beginning of the process and therefore starting with the Year 3 scheme of work.  In these weekly lessons we provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language which lays the foundations for foreign language teaching at Key Stage 3.  At Nursteed we aim to prepare our children to successfully transfer to KS3 equipped with the knowledge and skills required to further develop their language skills.

From Year 3 to Year 6 there is a clear progression of skills which involves new learning and recapping on previous teaching, building vocabulary and language.   At Nursteed, we use a wide range of resources to support our teaching of Spanish including games, language immersion days, written activities, songs, rhymes and stories.

In MFL at Nursteed our children are taught to:

• Listen attentively to the spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.
• Explore the patterns and sounds of language and link spelling, sound and meaning of words.
• Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help.
• Speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures.
• Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases.
• Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.
• Describe people, places, and things orally and in writing.

At the end of each learning area we expect children at Nursteed to be able to recognise and apply key vocabulary and how it relates to everyday life.  Class teachers will assess children’s progress through observation and marking of written work to ensure the knowledge taught is retained and applied.

The MFL subject leader regularly monitors the impact of MFL teaching through lesson observations, conversations with colleagues and through scrutinizing work to ensure knowledge and skills are progressing.

SMSC in MFL

Spiritual

Students are taught to accept and embrace other languages and cultures through the teaching of MFL. Students are encouraged to be empathetic to the cultures, beliefs and traditions of others.

Moral

Students are encouraged to show empathy and understanding to others. Stereotypes and intolerance are challenged through the teaching of language and culture.

Social

Students are encouraged to experiment with language both orally and aurally.  For the children to feel ‘brave’ enough to practise Spanish both with and in front of their peers they must have a sound degree of trust between them.  They are encouraged to use each other as learning tools and work closely in groups to further develop their understanding of Spanish.

Cultural

Cultural development and awareness are fundamental in language learning at Nursteed.  Exploration of language and culture is key to language learning.  Students are encouraged to embrace ‘difference’ at all stages of their linguistic development and accept ideas which may be ‘alien’ to them, as culturally significant.