Modern Foreign Languages – Intent, Implementation and Impact
“To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world” - Chinese proverb
Intent
At North Petherton Community Primary School, we are committed to providing all children in Key Stage 2 with a rich and engaging education in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL), with a particular focus on French. Our intent is to foster a lifelong love of language learning, while deepening pupils' appreciation for the richness and diversity of global cultures.
We strive to build each child’s confidence and competence in language learning by nurturing curiosity, enthusiasm, and self-assurance. By the end of their primary journey, we want our pupils to feel inspired, equipped, and excited to continue their language learning in the next phase of their education.
Our curriculum is designed to ensure that all learners, regardless of ability, develop a strong foundation in the four core language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. These skills are taught in a progressive and meaningful way, enabling children to understand spoken and written language, and to communicate their own ideas with increasing fluency and accuracy.
Through this process, pupils will gain a deeper understanding of how language works, while also exploring the connections and contrasts between French and English. In addition, learning about French-speaking cultures helps to broaden their horizons and strengthens their sense of identity by encouraging reflection on their own culture in comparison.
Implementation
Our MFL (French) curriculum is carefully designed to develop pupils’ skills in the three core pillars of language learning: phonics, vocabulary, and grammar. These elements are introduced in a structured, progressive manner to build both knowledge and confidence over time.
We follow the Language Angels scheme of work, which provides a clear progression of skills across Key Stage 2. Teachers are encouraged to enrich this scheme with their own expertise, ideas, and collaborative input from colleagues, allowing for creativity and flexibility in the classroom.
Phonics is explicitly taught and then reinforced through a variety of engaging activities, such as songs, interactive games, and listening tasks. Pupils hear and see phonemes repeatedly in both explicit and implicit contexts, ensuring thorough and meaningful reinforcement.
Grammar is woven carefully into each unit and taught both directly and indirectly. Once introduced, grammatical concepts are revisited and recycled regularly throughout subsequent units to ensure deep understanding and retention.
Vocabulary is introduced thematically and reinforced through a wide range of engaging methods, including conversational work, songs, games, sentence building, and purposeful writing. As their language skills and confidence grow, children begin to record their learning through illustrations, labels, captions, and full sentences.
Lessons are designed to be stimulating, inclusive, and accessible. Each one has clear, achievable learning objectives and is tailored to accommodate different learning styles. Pupils with SEND access the curriculum through differentiated tasks, tailored grouping, or additional adult support. A strong emphasis is placed on active participation in French. Pupils engage in role play, drama, and performance activities such as singing and reciting rhymes. They also take part in writing tasks with real purpose, such as composing letters to pen pals in francophone countries, helping them to see the relevance and joy in using the language beyond the classroom.
We prioritise revision and consolidation, with opportunities for pupils to revisit prior learning embedded throughout the curriculum. This ensures fluency and confidence are developed over time.
At the end of each unit, skills-based assessments are carried out to monitor progress and inform future teaching. These assessments also allow us to track pupil achievement against the 12 attainment targets set out in the DfE Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2.
Impact
Our MFL curriculum ensures that all pupils not only meet the key language learning objectives outlined in the National Curriculum but also develop a genuine enthusiasm for languages and an appreciation of different cultures.
Progression is at the heart of our approach. Each lesson builds systematically on the last, and the structure of the Language Angels scheme supports this by offering a carefully tiered progression of learning. As pupils advance through the Early Learning, Intermediate, and Progressive units, they encounter increasing levels of linguistic and grammatical challenge. This structure ensures that pupils are continuously stretched, supported, and able to consolidate their learning over time.
Pupils are encouraged to take ownership of their learning journey. Each unit provides a child-friendly overview of learning objectives, enabling pupils to understand their goals and track their own progress. They also maintain personal vocabulary records, which help them retain and recall core vocabulary from unit to unit and year to year.
To ensure high standards and continuous improvement, the subject leader has created a clear action plan outlining key targets for development across the school. Ongoing collaboration between the subject leader and class teachers ensures that strengths are celebrated and areas for development are addressed promptly and effectively.
We evaluate the impact of our French curriculum through a variety of monitoring and assessment strategies, including:
Regular pupil voice activities to gage enjoyment, engagement, and understanding
Teacher assessment of language skills at the end of each unit
Feedback and observations gathered during lessons and from work scrutiny
Learning walks and informal drop-ins to assess teaching and pupil engagement
Leadership oversight from the subject leader and SLT through collaborative monitoring and review
Through this multifaceted approach, we ensure that all pupils leave Key Stage 2 equipped with strong foundational language skills, cultural awareness, and a positive attitude toward future language learning.