Modern Foreign Languages

St Leonards CE Primary Academy 

Curriculum Intent Statement 

MFL 

At St Leonards CE Primary Academy, we aim to provide an MFL curriculum that fosters pupils' curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world and its people that will remain with them throughout their lives.  Learning a foreign language creates a culture of inclusion, acceptance, tolerance and diversity, whilst encouraging pupils to explore other cultures and develop an appreciation for other languages.  

This links with our proverb:  

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it" Proverb 22:6 

Our relevant and aspirational MFL curriculum promotes cross-curricular links with Maths, Geography and Art, whilst focusing on the development of oracy. We enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language, to understand and respond to speakers, both in speech and in writing. Pupils will speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, as they take part in discussions, ask questions, and continually improve the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation. Pupils will also explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes to support their learning.  

Furthermore, our MFL curriculum lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3, as pupils are enabled to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, as they use their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. 

Being able to talk confidently and learn through talk, is important because it: 

• Enhances social and emotional development by allowing children to express their needs and effectively communicate with both adults and peers. 

• Develops listening skills 

• Improves educational outcomes. 

• Underpins literacy and vocabulary acquisition. 

• Supports well-being, confidence and builds resilience when speaking. 

• Enables young people to have access to employment and thrive in life beyond school. 

We provide opportunities for pupils to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature. This supports our vision, which gives everyone the ‘opportunity to build firm foundations as life-long learners’, as pupils become equipped to study and work in other countries. At St Leonards CE Primary Academy, we value the importance of Global Learning and joined the Sierra Leone friendship link in 2007. Since then, several members of staff have supported, fundraised and visited our twin town of Hastings in Sierra Leone to develop links with our partner school ‘Model Baptist Primary, Grafton’. Additionally, pupils connect through regular IPC meetings, as they discuss overcoming common challenges and how to make positive changes to the environment. Connecting with communities globally enables our pupils to achieve our academy values: 

Be safe; Be determined; Be respectful; Be faithful