MFL (French) intent @ TJ

It is our intent at Thomas Jolyffe Primary School to provide all of our children with a high quality education in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), which develops their love of learning about other languages and cultures and helps provide them with an understanding of the world.

We aim to build the children’s ‘cultural capital’ so that they have a knowledge and understanding of the richness and diversity between cultures. All pupils at Thomas Jolyffe will be expected to achieve their full potential in their foreign language learning (French) - the ultimate aim is that pupils will feel confident engaging in spoken French, develop skills in reading, listening and writing, and know how important languages will be in their future.  We hope that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and curiosity about languages, finding them enjoyable and exciting and show a desire to continue their language learning past KS 2.

We believe that learning another language gives children a new and broader perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others, which feeds into our whole school values of respect where many religions and cultures are represented. 

MFL (French) Implementation at TJ

Children develop their love of language learning and develop skills throughout their time in KS2 at Thomas Jolyffe.  In our progressive scheme of work the French curriculum has a focus on speaking, listening, reading and writing skills, as well as making children aware of grammatical features of the French language.  French culture and language is explored in year 3, where children learn about which countries across the world speak French.  They learn how to greet each other and basic vocabulary such as colours and numbers. Teachers follow the sequence of lessons from this scheme of work adapted to suit our pupils covering a wide variety of topics and themes. Weekly lessons are taught (30-45 minutes) ensuring progression by building on previous lessons.  At the start of each lesson, teachers recap on prior learning.  Previous language will be revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate. Evidence of lessons taught are captured in children’s Theme books (either photos, drawings, sentences, captions, Twitter etc.). to all. Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through Thomas Jolyffe.  Performance is a key part of pupils’ French learning. The opportunities that we plan for this includes singing songs, drama / role play activities, and performing rhymes.  Other ways in which children foster a love of French is through active participation in lessons through video clips, sentence building activities and playing games. 

MFL (French) Impact @ TJ

Our MFL curriculum ensures that all pupils develop key language learning skills set out by the national curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures. 

Learning an additional language will offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences. It is hoped that children will foster a love of language and a desire to further learning beyond the classroom and in their future.     

How children learn French @TJ...

In Reception, pupils will begin to develop their cultural awareness as they explore the similarities and differences between families, communities and traditions of different countries around the world. They will also engage in celebrations, such as Diwali, Chinese New Year and Bonfire Night, considering the meaning behind these festivities.

As pupils move into Key Stage One, they will look in greater depth at the cultures and traditions of various groups here in the UK, as well as consolidating their prior learning about other cultures around the world. They will build on their understanding of how cultures and traditions change and develop over time by exploring the similarities and differences of cultures in the past compared with how they are now, as well as predicting how they may change again in the future.

As pupils progress into Lower Key Stage Two, they will continue to develop their cultural awareness through the exploration of French games, stories and songs as part of their unit ‘Bienvenue en France’. They will also explore aspects of everyday life in countries around the world in greater depth, specifically focusing on France. In addition to this, they will be introduced to some French vocabulary and high frequency words, which they will use to structure short, simple sentences. As they grow in confidence, they will have the opportunity to engage verbally with one another in order to develop their speaking and listening skills.

By the time pupils arrive in Upper Key Stage Two, they will be using their French speaking and listening skills with greater confidence as part of their unit ‘Tour du Monde’. They will begin to explore how accents and vocabulary vary both regionally and nationally, as well as developing a greater understanding of where French is spoken around the world. This all contributes to the now well-established intercultural awareness that they have been developing throughout their time at Thomas Jolyffe. In addition to this, pupils will also consolidate their reading and writing skills, encountering a much more broad range of vocabulary through more advanced games, stories and songs, which they will be able to structure into increasingly developed and accurate sentences, reflecting their English language ability.

We hope that this varied and progressive approach will encourage all children to develop an understanding of the benefits of learning another language as well as an appreciation of other cultures, but most importantly a love of languages that will stay with them long after they have left Thomas Jolyffe.

Mrs H Anderson (MFL Leader)