Back to subjects
Choose a subject:

Modern Foreign Languages

At the Ridgeway School, MFL is taught in Key stages 2 and 3, and sometimes Key stage 4. In F.E it is an option, taking account of pupils’ levels of understanding and how old they are. Throughout the Key Stages MFL is covered using the basis of the National curriculum updated in May 2015.  The Languages curriculum offers pupils the opportunity to learn about different countries and languages, focusing on the appreciation of other cultures and diversity. We try to ensure that MFL is creative, motivating, meaningful, engaging and relevant to the pupils, depending on their individual needs and the targets we are working towards. 

We feel that it helps to use a combination of teaching approaches, to appeal to the different learning styles of the pupils.  Through applying differentiated activities aimed at learning and consolidating basic conversational French there is a strong focus on promoting the development of skills, such as self-esteem and communication, which is core to everything we teach at Ridgeway. Teaching of MFL provides opportunities to develop our ‘Thinking Skills’ curriculum which encourages independent learning. We encourage “active” sessions throughout the curriculum, this is both to support hands on/doing learning, as well as practical and meaningful experience and engagement. We realise the importance of engagement, (attention and focus), and we acknowledge that deeper learning can only occur when pupils are fully engaged and have resources matched to their personal learning styles.

MFL sits within the Humanities Faculty and once a year there is a French focus day, during which pupils can participate in a wide range of activities, including ordering and tasting French snacks from the ‘French café’, exploring ‘sensory France’ in the MILE room, playing French games, participating in ‘Tour de France’ and the Eiffel tower competition, using recyclable materials to make a model of the Eiffel tower. The engagement and involvement of pupils learning French and participating in the MFL curriculum, whilst acquiring new skills is the key focus.

Skills learnt in MFL lessons may be assessed in Speaking and Listening, PSHE, Thinking Skills and Engagement Steps.  If you would like further information on how we assess students, please ask class teachers who can explain how we use the information from assessments we gather to help us identify the next learning steps for each child.

 

Mfl