Modern Foreign Languages

Curriculum statement: Modern Foreign Languages

'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world' Wittgenstein

CURRICULUM AIMS

At Saint  John Henry Newman School we believe that languages give you the edge! The study of a Modern Foreign Language provides an opening to the world and its many diverse cultures, providing a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for all students.  By motivating students to explore and respect other cultures and people, we aim to echo the core Christian values central to our school ethos.    

A range of carefully scaffolded and engaging activities develop syntactical knowledge and awareness thereby promoting growth as linguists and enabling students to perform real world communicative tasks with spontaneity and fluency. Interleaving and low-stakes formative assessments help to nurture confidence in their ability, creating a positive mindset in language acquisition, regardless of their linguistic background. In this way, we exceed the demands of the National Curriculum and lay the foundations to support the future study of other languages, giving students the opportunity to become global citizens.  

Languages are for life. The department’s vision is to continually improve standards through an engaging and challenging curriculum which values the strengths of all and celebrates success. The ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure which enhances the employability of our students. 

CURRICULUM FEATURES   

At Key Stage 3 we aim to build a solid foundation of knowledge, with students confident in syntactic patterns, an awareness of phonics, key grammatical terminology and concepts and an understanding of the language learning process. This approach facilitates their ability to decode unfamiliar language and gives greater awareness of the fundamental building blocks of language that can be manipulated to personalise their work.  

At Key Stage 4, students will deepen their understanding of grammatical concepts and enrich their range of structures and vocabulary through a range of authentic texts relevant to young people in a multicultural society. The emphasis at this stage is to enable students to perform real world communicative tasks such as giving, justifying and eliciting opinions and enable them to take part in discussions about wider issues – important communicative functions for students to master in the real world and prepare them for the challenges of KS5. We also celebrate the diversity of cultures within our community and encourage native speakers to gain a GCSE qualification in their mother tongue whilst pursuing their studies of another language.    

Students at Key Stage 5 will be aiming for greater spontaneity and proficiency of language. Through the study of a variety of historical, literary and political stimuli, they will gain a richer insight into the culture of the language of study and hone their research and presentation skills thus preparing themselves for future academic study and the world of work.   

CO CURRICULAR ENRICHMENT

Learning a language contributes to a sense of global citizenship as well as personal fulfilment. By nurturing a linguistic curiosity, enabling them to identify similarities and contrasts with their own language thereby strengthening their understanding in other areas of the curriculum. Mini projects help students to advance their cultural knowledge on festivals and traditions, the geographical and historic diversity of countries where the language is spoken and to have a greater appreciation of their literature, music and art as well as foster co-curricular links. 

Throughout their time at The Saint John Henry Newman School, students have the opportunity to participate in trips to France and Spain.  In Year 7, students are encouraged to participate in a residential trip to France or Spain, enabling them to experience, first-hand, cultural diversity, to practice their developing linguistic abilities and promoting independence and inter-personal skills. These trips additionally support their learning of geographical features and historical awareness. In Year 9 and 10 a cross curricular visit to Lille to the Christmas markets provides the opportunity to visit war memorials and cemeteries in Flanders and discover the harsh realities of trench warfare and medical provision during the First World War.    

The diversity of languages and cultures are celebrated in European Day of Languages. There are Enrichment opportunities for sixth form students to support learners in language lessons and there is an Italian club to support native Italian speakers in preparation for a GCSE in Year 10. There is also an ongoing Languagenut  competition for the MFL Saints Cup which rewards the extra-curricular study of a foreign language. 

Links with feeder Primary Schools seek to build on the language learning experience at KS2 and help smooth the transition to secondary education.  

What follows is a current summary of the intended subject curriculum content in each year of the key stage.  It highlights the key knowledge and skills intended for learning, and some of the ways progress in the curriculum is to be assessed.  It clarifies the key questions students should be addressing and gives links to help students and families to develop this learning further.