Intent:

MFL (Modern Foreign Language) at Ashbourne Primary School lays the foundations for a life-long love of language learning.

Our work is underpinned by our vision and aims: ‘Nurturing aspiration through happy, creative learning’. Our PRAISE aims are at the heart of every lesson and our focus on the removal of barriers to learning is firmly embedded into all areas of the MFL curriculum.

At Ashbourne Primary School children will develop their curiosity and understanding of the world and its people through learning Spanish. Whilst learning a foreign language, children will gain an appreciation of different cultures and communities around the world. This will build upon our whole-school focus on diversity. Our children are lucky enough to deepen their understanding through lessons delivered by a Spanish speaker which provides them with an authentic experience both linguistically and culturally. Over their time at Ashbourne Primary all children will develop confidence, fluency and spontaneity in Spanish. MFL is taught in KS2 from Year 3 to Year 6.

The curriculum is planned and sequenced over a four-year period. To begin with, children learn basic vocabulary linked to specific topics. Children then build on this knowledge and begin to use phrases and sentences. This culminates in Year 6 with children constructing short paragraphs using all of their prior knowledge.  This is based on the principal that learning has only happened when processes and facts (knowledge) are in pupils’ long-term memory. This takes time and repetition. Planning the curriculum in this way, allows pupils to establish fundamental foundations into their memories before advancing and applying concepts across a range of tasks and topics.