Modern Foreign Languages (MFL)

In KS2 Years 3-6 all have weekly lessons to develop their understanding and use of another language – Spanish. 

Spanish is taught in a whole-class setting by the class teacher and is therefore not reliant on one key member of staff.

Teachers plan their lessons using the 'Language Angels' scheme of work which ensures progression throughout the Key Stage and covers a wide range of vocabulary. Each year group starts the academic year by recapping key vocabulary and phonics from Spanish before then starting to learn about a key area of life in Spanish. 

We introduced Spanish as our new language of choice for St Thomas More pupils in September 2021, because our pupils tend to go on holiday to Spanish speaking countries therefore by teaching Spanish in school they can utilise this knowledge when they are abroad. 

We introduced this by implementing a Spanish week where children engaged in a variety of activities including, exploring Spanish cuisine, practicing flamenco dancing and diving deeper into the Spanish culture. 

Intent

Our aim is to develop the confidence and competence of each child in the foreign language they are learning. Our goal is for them to be passionate, curious and confident about their own foreign language learning abilities when they finish the primary school phase of their education.

Implementation

We will help our pupils develop and demonstrate substantial progress in the 5 key language skills necessary for learning Spanish:

• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Grammar

Impact

We aim to ensure that pupils of all abilities develop solid foundations in these key language learning skills - properly preparing them for the next stage of their language learning journey. These skills will develop children’s ability to understand what they hear and read and enable them to express themselves in speech and writing. We will extend their knowledge of how language works and explore the similarities and differences between the foreign language they are learning and English. We will also help strengthen their sense of identity through learning about culture in other countries and comparing it with their own.

To celebrate The National Day of Spain, across Key Stage 2 we learnt about different festivals across Spain. Key Stage 1 were introduced to Spanish Culture and learnt key facts about Spain. We spent the day embedding Spanish into everything that we do, taking the registers, saying hello and even saying our school prayers in Spanish. We finished the afternoon by combining our celebrations with celebrations for World Food Day, we tasted some Spanish food across the school, some food items had mixed reviews however, we all enjoyed learning more about the Spanish Culture. 

European Day of Languages

Each year we have a European Day of Languages. This is a chance for us to learn about lots of different countries and learn new languages. We get to learn at least 4 new languages each time. Each classroom becomes a new country – we dance, create art pieces, speak and so much more.

Pates Language Festival

In previous years we have attended a Language Festival at Pates Grammar School. This gives the children an opportunity to be exposed to more languages and learn about countries in different ways. This could be through artwork, drama and speaking and listening.