Modern Foreign Languages
Curriculum Intent
At Winterton Community Academy we aim to deliver quality teaching and learning for all pupils studying French. The MFL staff are passionate about their subject and have high expectations of learners, placing emphasis on their enjoyment of the subject as well teaching the skills, vocabulary and grammar required to successfully communicate in the target language.
We enable pupils to explore the rich diversity of geography, culture and traditions in the Francophone world and establish a spirit of respect and acceptance of difference. Our goal is to create successful, curious, confident, independent language learners with a wider view of the world ready to make valuable contributions to the global community and grasp opportunities to visit French speaking countries around the world and possibly live and work in them.
We also highlight the wide and varied employability skills associated with language learning and build the self-belief that pupils can succeed in this subject and go on to be life-long language learners.
All pupils study French from Year 7 and can opt to continue this language through to GCSE.
The MFL Department endeavours to:
- Encourage pupils to consider the grammar and vocabulary of their own language, how foreign languages have contributed to its development and consequently the importance of recognising structures and cognates when developing foreign language and literacy skills
- Develop pupils’ comprehension skills so that they can understand and interpret a wide variety of written and spoken materials (including from authentic resources and real-life situations) listening and reading for gist as well as for specific details
- Equip pupils with the confidence to take part in a variety of conversations in the target language including role-play scenarios, general extended conversations as well as an ability to apply transactional language in real life scenarios to manage every-day situations they may find themselves in
- Develop the skills to write coherent, extended pieces of French seeking and conveying information, opinions and points of view, evaluating arguments and explaining justifying their own opinions
- Develop skills of recall, resilience, self-correction, resourcefulness and empathy when communicating in the target language
- Instil a sense of respect for and interest in the cultures and traditions of the Francophone world and inspire pupils to go on to study languages at A level and beyond, perhaps even using the skills and strategies they have developed to learn new languages in the future
