Modern Foreign Languages

Ethos and Aims

At the Bewdley School, we believe that language learning should be a happy, inquisitive, inspirational time in our lives where there are no limits to curiosity and new experiences. Our vision in MFL Department is that students of all abilities develop the skills and confidence to belong in a multicultural, mutually respectful world.  

The Bewdley School MFL department aims to inspire students to have a love of languages by nurturing a linguistic curiosity to explore and respect other cultures and people. We also promote the importance of languages as a means to improve job opportunities and the ability to travel to, and live in, other countries. 

Our aim is to overcome the barriers that stop languages flourishing. We provide opportunities for students to develop as independent, confident, successful learners with high aspirations. We also want students to know how to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider society.  

Staffing

Mr G Houillon – Head of MFL, teacher of French.
Mr P Willis – Assistant Headteacher, teacher of French and German
Ms A Claudio – Teacher of Spanish.
Ms. C Gilligan – Teacher of French, Spanish and Italian.
Ms. D Whyton – Teacher of Spanish, French and Latin. 

Mr J. Holloway – Student teacher of French and Spanish. 

Intention

At The Bewdley School our intention is to provide students with a high-quality education in Modern Foreign Languages as part of a broad and balanced curriculum which fosters interest and curiosity in language and culture as well as the acquisition of knowledge and skills. We plan and deliver a curriculum that embeds the 3 pillars of progression and the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, to enable pupils to communicate in a new language and to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts which lays foundations for future language learning.

Our curriculum intends to demonstrate the usefulness of the language and involvement in intercultural activities and experiences. We want learners of all abilities to have a positive view of themselves as language learners, and develop a sense of self-efficacy during their learning journey.

When starting at The Bewdley School, students begin their learning journey of French or Spanish, and continue to develop the knowledge of their designated language until the end of year 9. This allows for a solid 3-year KS3 curriculum delivery, where pupils are prepared effectively for their next steps at GCSE. At the end of Year 9, students choose to continue with French or Spanish GCSE and continue to develop the knowledge of their chosen language.

Our curriculum is designed by sequencing the building blocks of the subject (in languages, the sounds, words and rules about how these connect to create sentences and meanings), and enables the application of these blocks. As a department we carefully plan progression through our curriculum with regular revisiting of content and skills to build on existing knowledge. From the outset we teach grammar, phonics and vocabulary; using the correct terminology and making explicit links to English and other foreign languages’ grammatical structures, pronunciation and cognates.

We expand the Cultural Capital of our students by embedding their linguistic acquisition within a wide range of knowledge which goes beyond their own cultural experience and sets them up as intercultural citizens. We do this by teaching language contextually within topic areas and using target language to model and encourage students to communicate in the foreign language. We use authentic resources to offer immediacy and relevance to the MFL learning experience. Study of foreign language films, music, YouTube videos and texts are all commonplace in the MFL classroom. The Language Immersion Challenge set up for students to research aspects of youth culture in French/ Spanish countries and communities over a holiday was successful in sparking an interest in foreign language cultures.

Further rationale behind our curriculum design includes the revisiting and building on existing knowledge. The topic areas and grammatical structures which are introduced at KS3, are seen as building blocks for more in-depth learning at KS4 (& KS5) and the use of IT programmes such as Quizlet are well-established for reinforcing newly acquired knowledge or for setting lagged homework for supporting longer term memory.

We teach in mixed ability classes to ensure that all students share access to the same curriculum. Teachers use differentiation strategies to ensure that all students are supported to achieve the same learning outcomes as their peers. Students cover a variety of topics and themes, many of which are taught within the cultural context of the country/countries where the language is native. We impart the curriculum knowledge through engaging and inspiring activities and we encourage the use of the target language in lessons. We use authentic spoken and written texts and literature set in other Francophone and Spanish-speaking countries to support diversity. Students are encouraged to work individually, in teams as well as a whole class community, to support each other’s learning..

Each academic year, we reinforce the importance of why everyone should study a language by running a range of whole-school, in-class and extra-curricular activities which promote cultural diversity and the love of learning a language.

We also offer an educational visit abroad at the end of each academic year, and other world-language events during the year. Speakers of other languages (both native and non-native) are encouraged both in and out of lessons to compare and contrast their language, cultural experiences and traditions with those of the language/country we are studying to broaden their, and other students’, cultural and linguistic understanding and appreciation.

Implementation

To improve learners’ understanding and production of language, a steady development in the three pillars of progression has been carefully designed and included in our schemes of work. We continuously aim to develop students’ understanding of phonics, vocabulary, grammar and how to combine these when producing the language..

The novice–expert axis is at the heart of our curriculum planning, given expectations at KS3, GCSE and A level stages.

At KS3, we start consolidating lower-level processes, like recognising and memorising sounds or words.

Our learning journeys demonstrate how students progress from being exposed to these “basics of language”, to practising them repeatedly and consolidating them before being able to produce them independently. We ensure that all learners fully grasp the basics of language knowledge, skills and understanding before expecting elements of expertise to come together reliably.  Recalling knowledge becomes faster and more automatic, demands less attention and effort and results in fewer errors.  Throughout our KS3 curriculum, students are increasingly able to focus on other things, such as more complex words and structures.

By the time students start the GCSE course, students have become more adept at higher-level cognitive processes and competencies. Only our most proficient pupils at GCSE will be working as expert learners. These are entered for Higher tier GCSE. While we encourage as many students as possible to continue their learning journey at A Level, we realise that only a proportion of our expert students maybe doing so.

Consistency: 

As a department, we aim to adopt a consistent approach to planning and teaching. Our departmental policy highlights the agreed protocols and expectations that teachers and learners must follow.

Curriculum design: 

As mentioned before, the novice–expert axis is at the heart of our curriculum design. Therefore, we constantly explore ways to enhance this principle within our curriculum.

Having learnt about the pedagogy methods of the current key researchers in Modern Foreign Languages, we have drawn some valuable advice on how to support our students in becoming language experts:

1. Conti’s principle of Extensive Processing Instruction aims to develop linguistic mastery, by offering a Production, Practice and Presentation format (MARS EARS). While this method suggests a radical curriculum change which we are not ready to adopt, it has been a great source of reflection and inspiration in our curriculum design.
2. Hawkes’ Learning to Talk and Talking to Learn, and her more recent work with the National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy are also a great influence in developing our curriculum in line with the new GCSE requirements. Her structured and thorough approach to teaching grammar and phonics have been very inspiring.

Lesson structure: 

All lessons delivered in our department follow a similar structure. They include a “flying starter” and an “exit task”. We have developed a bank of shared resources, which can be accessed by all MFL teachers, in order to facilitate consistency and alleviate workload. As a general rule, a typical series of lessons will develop students’ independence and spontaneity when using a particular set of vocabulary and grammar points.

A series of lessons will typically start with an expository material (e.g. a listening passage or a text). This represents the goal that students aim for. It includes the key vocabulary, as well as the grammar point that they will aim to master by the end of the series of lessons. The teacher will then model the key structure(s), by using the support of sentence builders or similar materials. This method has proved very effective and inclusive amongst our students so far.

Once the structure is assimilated, and the vocabulary familiar (both in writing and speaking), students then explore the grammar point included. Going back to the expository material at that point is common practice. (see “teaching grammar” below).

Students then practise the grammar point, with a range of close-ended tasks, with the support of their teacher and the materials used until then.

In the final stage of the series of lessons, students are given the opportunity to apply their expertise independently. This represents the “independent production” phase of their learning of a particular teaching point. 

Impact

By the end of Key Stage 4, we are dedicated to ensuring all pupils, including SEN and Pupil Premium students, realise their full potential by making better than average progress, enabling them to take their next steps in further education or the world of work.

As part of our MFL Curriculum, pupils can discuss their learning, remember what they have learnt and are keen to learn more. The use of Learning Journeys has developed students’ awareness of what they are “aiming for” and achieving in the subject. End of unit assessments, verbal and written feedback on tasks ensure that there is an impact on outcomes and those pupils feel positive about languages.

Regular monitoring throughout all year groups ensures that our curriculum is stimulating, engaging and challenging. These discussions take place formally during our weekly departmental meetings.

Learning journeys, progress maps and Knowledge Organisers:  

Every student has a learning journey and a progress map in their exercise book, This helps them be aware of their own learning goals and progression. Each learning journey offers a pupil friendly overview so that all pupils can review their own learning at the start and at the end of each unit. The progress maps are a valuable resource which details the skills, knowledge and understanding that students must be able to evidence in order to achieve mastery.

Thanks to the resources mentioned above, students know and are able to articulate their progress. They can review the topics, vocabulary, phonics and grammar points that they have learnt so far and can reflect on how secure they are with these.

Progress – expectations: 

Students are expected to make good or better than good progress in their foreign language learning and their individual progress is tracked and reported to pupils and parents / carers in line with school recommendations.

If pupils are not progressing in line with expectations, this will be formally identified in the end of unit summative assessments. This will enable teachers to put in place an early intervention programme to address any areas that require attention in any of the language learning skills.

Supporting our students: 

At KS3 level, support takes place within lesson time and classroom situations. This is where differentiation and support are planned for. At KS4 level, more able and talented students are offered after-school support. Extensive work on grammar and speaking tends to take place during these weekly sessions. Underachieving students also benefit from a weekly support session during tutor time. This offers opportunities for consolidation work on grammar and GCSE skills.

Wider impact and enrichment: 

As mentioned in our curriculum intent, the Bewdley School MFL department aims to inspire students to have a love of languages by nurturing a linguistic curiosity to explore and respect other cultures and people. We value the importance of experience and we endeavour to “open our classroom doors” and expose our students to a range of language-related experiences. This manifests in the form of: trips, language competitions and a range of projects about the culture and traditions of the countries where the target language is spoken.