Modern Foreign Languages

Languages at KS3 at Hayes

Languages at KS4

Languages at KS5

Curriculum intent

To have uncompromising aspirations for every individual and for our school to be an exceptional and inspirational community of lifelong learners.
To ensure all students have the knowledge to critically engage with the conversation of humankind.
MFL students pursue the ability to communicate effectively with other cultures. We explore how to learn a language and we open student minds. We enable students to manipulate the language independently, foster linguistic curiosity and equip them with the confidence and skills to be able to use them in the future.

Purpose

Our vision in Modern Languages at Hayes is for all students to become enthusiastic and confident communicators in a foreign language, whether they are studying French, German or Spanish. We want Hayes students to be able to manipulate language independently, building on foundations of vocabulary knowledge and applying grammatical concepts effectively.

Key concepts that underpin the curriculum

Key linguistic concepts

Pronunciation and accent
Acquisition & practice of vocabulary
Understanding and application of grammar
Extracting key messages
Linguistic accuracy
Effective communication
Cultural awareness
Reflective thinking & analysis

Key features of learning

We believe that the best way of doing this is teaching students in the language itself as much as possible to give an authentic and more natural learning experience. Our lessons are very interactive with a wide range of activities, such as using mini whiteboards, pair and group work, individual presentations, and games with a competitive edge, which develop the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing. We use technology both in and outside the classroom to enhance the learning, for example, Quizlet to help students learn vocabulary or the Language Lab, where they independently work through a digital learning plan tailored to support their individual progress.

How does our curriculum shape learners?

Beyond linguistic competence, we encourage students to be more open-minded about other cultures, to be curious, reflective and resilient learners and to equip them with the skills to support them in an increasingly global world. We are very proud of the way in which our students can spontaneously express themselves by the end of their GCSEs, and by the end of A-Levels, students are fully-fledged linguists.

End points for Academic Years
Year 7	By the end of year 7, students will be able to answer basic questions about personal information, including simple opinions. They will have some confidence in pronouncing common letter strings and reading out loud. Students will have some knowledge of fundamental grammatical concepts, including identifying nouns, adjectives and verbs. They will be able to identify some language and opinions in listening and reading. They can produce short texts about themselves with some connectives and opinions, and understand the importance of accuracy, including spelling, capital letters and use of accents. Students will understand that there are many ways to learn vocabulary and will be given the opportunity to try and find the method that works for them. They are beginning to develop an awareness of proof-reading and improving their work. Our ambition for our year 7 students is to feel confident and positive about their progress in the first year of language learning, whichever language they study, to understand the attributes of being a good languages learner, and to enjoy the experience.
Year 8	By the end of year 8, students will be using two tenses to speak about a range of topics. They will be increasingly confident when pronouncing both familiar and unfamiliar language, using letter strings/phonics. They will be able to express an opinion and give a simple justification. Students will be growing in confidence when applying grammatical concepts such as adjective endings and word order. They will be able to deal with texts and audio extracts in two tenses and extract key information about topics covered. Year 8 students will be able to write in more detail, using a variety of pronouns and justified opinions. They will have begun to develop some GCSE skills, such as translation, writing according to bullet points and a general conversation style speaking assessment. By the end of year 8, students will have a solid foundation in the language(s) they have chosen to study in Year 9, including basic grammatical knowledge and a broadening vocabulary.
Year 9	By the end of year 9, students will be using three tenses to speak about a range of topics. They will be able to express and justify opinions with confidence using clear pronunciation. Students will be working towards using and recognising three tenses and applying other grammatical concepts, such as adjective endings and word order. They will be able to extract key information when listening and reading about a range of topics. They can write more extended texts which demonstrate application of grammatical points learned throughout Key Stage 3 and a range of vocabulary. Students will be able to translate single sentences and short paragraphs into the language and into English in preparation for GCSE. They can respond to feedback and self-correct common errors with guidance. By the end of Year 9, students should have a solid foundation of grammar and vocabulary to be successful learners at MFL GCSE, as well as having developed their resilience and independence.
Year 10	By the end of year 10, students will have built upon the Key Stage 3 curriculum and will be increasingly confident in giving their opinion and using different tenses to speak about themselves and their experiences. By this point, students will be perfecting their pronunciation and developing an increasingly authentic accent and intonation. Students will be growing in confidence in using and recognising a minimum of three tenses and applying other grammatical concepts, such as adjective endings and word order. They will be beginning to access more complex texts and extract information when listening and reading. Students will have built upon their Key Stage 3 grammatical foundations to write in more detail and with greater accuracy about a range of topics. They will be able to translate on a sentence or short paragraph level with increasing accuracy. Year 10 students will have made tangible grammatical progress and broadened their vocabulary on topics revisited from Key Stage 3, such as family and free time, and will demonstrate a resilient approach towards success at MFL GCSE.
Year 11	By the end of year 11, students will feel confident in giving their opinion and speaking about themselves, others and their experiences in a variety of tenses. This could include talking about holidays, their family and their home and local area. By this point, students should be confident in pronouncing a wide range of complex vocabulary, with an overall authentic accent and intonation. Students will be confident in using and recognising a minimum of three tenses and applying other grammatical concepts, such as adjective endings and word order. They will be able to access more complex and extended texts and infer meaning when listening and reading. Students will be able to write on a range of themes, applying prior grammar knowledge accurately and expressing & justifying their opinion. They will be able to translate on a sentence or short paragraph level with good attention to detail from and into the language. Students will understand how to learn languages successfully, including an awareness of metacognitive processes and different methods of learning. Year 11 students will be confident and spontaneous communicators, aware of and able to apply fundamental grammatical knowledge and demonstrate positive attitudes towards language learning.
Year 12	By the end of year 12, students will have moved beyond the GCSE curriculum and talking only about themselves, to discussing issues from the countries of the language that they study. They are beginning to express themselves orally with some confidence and fluency and they will be able to discuss topics with greater cultural nuance and accuracy. Their accent and intonation should be increasingly authentic. Students will be working towards mastery of the grammatical concepts required for successful A Level study. Students will be growing in confidence in accessing authentic materials both in listening and reading and will be able to understand the gist and some key details. They will be starting to tackle translation tasks from and into the language studied with greater accuracy and more topic-specific vocabulary. Students will be introduced to studying a piece of literature or film, including building essay-writing skills and their analytical expertise in the language. Students will be starting to conduct independent research to expand their understanding of the subject. Our ambition for year 12 students is to become more grammatically aware, confident communicators beyond the normal realms of GCSE, and broaden their cultural horizons.
Year 13	By the end of year 13, students will be able to orally express themselves with confidence and fluency about a variety of topics, ranging from current issues and historical events, to cultural nuances, including topics such as immigration. They are also able to conduct independent research in the language studied and effectively condense and present information about their chosen topic. Their accent and intonation should be near authentic. Students will have a solid grammatical foundation that would set them up for successful university study. Students will be able to access a wide range of authentic materials including literature and film and will be able to understand both in detail and gist. They will be able to successfully translate challenging passages with topic-specific vocabulary and higher-level grammatical structures from and into the language studied. Students will be able to write coherent and analytical essays in response to film and literature in the language studied, focusing on character, theme, style & technique and social context. This culminates in year 13 students being culturally aware, linguistically curious, grammatically competent and excellent communicators.

Click here to visualise the French learner journey

Click here to visualise the German learner journey

Click here to visualise the Spanish learner journey

What will you see in MFL Lessons?

Students using the target language naturally and spontaneously
Judicious use of TL from teacher to maximise progress
Opportunity to produce written language during Hayes 10 (independently)
Variety – whole/group/pair/individual work
Practice of the four skills
Clear learning objective with structured progression
Differentiation/personalisation
Assessment for Learning, particularly using mini white boards & random questioning
Frequent links made to prior curriculum knowledge
Engagement in learning
Deep thinking about the ‘why’ of language
Routines & expectations, and praise
Opportunities for independent work & self-reflection
The ability to step away from the lesson plan & address misconceptions

What will you see in MFL books?

Date/title/LO (translated into English ideally)
Variety of activities including gap fill / match up / short paragraphs or individual sentences, whether handwritten or on support sheets
Red pen corrections in response to individual or whole class feedback
Purple pen from staff including TL symbols, EBIs written numerically, quality grade.
Green highlighter for the good stuff.
Vocabulary and grammar notes
Logical sequencing
Neat presentation & care invested

What formative assessment will you see in MFL?

MWBs
Mistake identification & correction
Questioning
Feedback on written work
Testing your partner/peer-assessed tasks
Vocabulary tests in vocabulary books
Verbal feedback both teacher & peer
Low stakes vocabulary retrieval practice
Red pen marking of class & homework

What is the department currently reading and why?

Ofsted report on MFL – languages research review
Secondary MFL Matters
News from other countries
Topical research
Other literature from the A level syllabus
Pedagogy research materials & training on curriculum and MFL teaching