An overview of our Lingotot  curriculum at Great Missenden for Pre-School, Reception, KS1 and KS2

What does Language Learning look like at Great Missenden School?

Great Missenden works in partnership with national language learning leaders, Lingotot. A Lingotot language specialist is on site three full days per week to teach the entire school. Their curriculum and method deliver fun, fully-interactive sessions, and progressive results.

In partnership with Lingotot, we offer our children a Primary Languages Qualification at the end of primary school. This is a unique opportunity for our pupils who take onwards with them a fully accredited qualification in languages granted by NCFE, an OfQual regulated awarding body.

Three levels of award are available which have been benchmarked against Entry Level 1, Entry Level 2 and Entry Level 3.

The Lingotot Course consists of 12 units, which are reviewed and adapted each year to match the school’s overall curriculum. 

To be eligible for an award, learners should complete a minimum of four different units, however it is recommended that learners complete 6 units. Learners complete internal assessments which are recorded in their portfolio for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing.

Our provision ensures that:

• Every child receives a 1 hour dedicated Languages lesson each week delivered by a specialist Languages teacher from year 3 upwards.
• KS 1 study some languages through songs, stories and dance.
• Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 study French for one hour per week delivered by a specialist Languages teacher.
• Lessons are themed around the school’s overall curriculum, which enhances the learning experience, by delivering consistency. 
• The skills acquired in language lessons during Key Stages 1 and 2 can be transferred and will prepare students for a variety of languages they are likely to encounter at secondary level.

INTENT

At Great Missenden Primary School, we are linguists! We take pride in our love for language learning, and the world’s rich diversity. 

We embrace the many possibilities that language learning opens for us, and we celebrate all languages spoken in our school. 

From the moment children step into our school in pre-school, to the moment they leave in Year 6 holding a Primary Languages Qualification, we proudly encourage a life-long love of language learning among our pupils. This broadens their view and understanding of the world, and  enhances their future prospects in our increasingly-globalised society.

Having access to learning Modern Foreign Languages from the earliest stages of education ensures that children in our school embrace the values that guide us, as follows:

Faith and Community: Languages enable children to take an interest in, and acquire the ability to communicate with God’s diverse world, embracing and truly appreciating the value of different cultures. Learning languages ensures that children recognise the need to be global citizens and to play our own individual part in being an integrated global community.

Love and Respect: Through languages, children learn to love communication with people of other places and cultures, and to appreciate their own - and others’ - sense of identity. We nurture the most essential human need of communication.

Truth and Courage: Learning languages, our pupils are empowered to seek others and break the barriers in communication, and embrace the differences that make us rich as a world.

Language learning enables pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language, and to understand and respond to its speakers.  In this respect it is the development of practical, useful knowledge for all young people.  Yet it is clear that language learning is not only a matter of developing competence in another language, important though this is.  It is about the broader curriculum; about children exploring the relationship between language and identity, about developing an international outlook and an enhanced understanding of the world and their place within it. As the opening statement of the new Programme of Study puts it: “Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures.”  This has never been more crucial.

Learning another language is full of rich opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural experiences. Intercultural understanding plays a central role in how languages are taught, with themes of identity and our place in the wider world put under the spotlight.

Videos, songs, rhymes and stories all enrich pupils’ experience with cultural insights into other people’s lives. Pupils may try out aspects of another culture in their classroom, such as food, clothes or celebrations, building a positive understanding of key features of personal and national identity, values and beliefs.

Learning a language equips pupils to express themselves in new ways. This develops their immediate sense of belonging to the wider world and starts to prepare them for future opportunities in modern life. Teachers look for opportunities for their pupils to communicate with pupils who speak other languages. This is invaluable for moving beyond stereotypical views of the culture of a country, and discovering that the similarities are as striking as the differences.

At a deeper level, learning a language confronts pupils with the fact that the way in which they see the world is just one of many possible ways. The words we use for things are arbitrary labels, not derived from the essence of the things themselves. In other languages things are said in different ways. For example a French learner of English would find it odd that we put the adjective before the noun, describing something before saying what it is. Pupils studying for the English spelling, grammar and punctuation test may be relieved to know that in other languages, parts of speech are not necessarily as fluid. Nouns cannot be forced into serving as adjectives, so in Spanish “a cheese sandwich” is “a sandwich of cheese.” Learning a language in KS2 means pupils grow up with this understanding as their world-view is developing, without the defensiveness of an older learner who feels that language learning challenges their settled world-view.

British Values do not have to be defined in opposition to the values of others, just as one family can define what values are important to them, without implying that other families don’t have equally valid principles. Learning another language develops an understanding and respect for diversity, removing barriers between cultures. It is also an opportunity to look at shared values and aspirations, such as personal liberty, democracy and the rule of law. It can help us understand that the particular blend of values we cherish is not universal, but is the result of on-going social and historical collective choices.

In every MFL lesson, we use a variety of resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant, and ambitious curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils using a wide range of topics and themes. All pupils are expected and assisted to achieve their full potential.  By encouraging high expectations and excellent standards in their foreign language learning,  we want them to be willing and able to continue learning languages well beyond Key Stage 2.

IMPLEMENTATION

We implement our curriculum by fostering all four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading,and writing.  Grammar concepts are covered in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas. 

Children develop their love of language learning and develop skills throughout their time in school. 

Weekly lessons are taught ensuring progression by building on previous lessons.

At the start of each lesson, teachers recap on prior learning and phonics. Previous language will be revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.

Evidence of lessons taught are captured in children’s portfolio booklets. These booklets include assessment material and become evidence of the children’ learning for their qualification in MFL, Level 3 Certificate in Primary Languages, accredited by NCFE.

Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through school.

Perfomance is a key part of pupils’ language learning. The opportunities that we plan for this includes singing songs, drama / role play activities and performing rhymes. To provide children with an audience and purpose, and to make learning more memorable, they have various opportunities throughout the year to perform to parents / carers. These events are recorded and uploaded to the school’s website to ensure that working parents or those unable to attend do not miss out.

Our SEND and disadvantaged pupils are supported in language learning through the use of actions and visuals in the classroom. Teachers adapt resources as necessary to reflect the children’s understanding and their varying needs.

Lessons are differentiated providing the appropriate level of support and challenge.

Vocabulary is displayed in classroom to serve as a reminder to children. Displays are created in our specially adapted classroom each term to celebrate children’s achievements and, on a rotational basis throughout the year, at least one of these displays will have a French focus.

Opportunities to celebrate other languages include:

European Day of Languages

World Book Day

Christmas celebrations

Theme days

Mother Tongue Day

Singing songs in the target language in assemblies

MFL after school and lunch club

Singing “Happy Birthday” in weekly assemblies using the target language

IMPACT

Our MFL curriculum ensures that all pupils develop key language learning skills set out by the national curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures.

We monitor the effectiveness of the language teaching provided throughout the year with termly book trawls, learning walks, planning scrutinies and pupil interviews. The teacher will monitor the learning and progression made by pupils across the key stage.

Assessments take place every half term and count towards the final assessment for the Level 3 Certificate in Primary Languages. Three levels of award are available which have been benchmarked against Entry Level 1, Entry Level 2 and Entry Level 3. See more later in this document.

Additionally, learning another language will offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences. It is hoped that children will foster a love of language and a desire to further learning beyond the classroom and in their future.

Our ambition is that all pupils develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating. Learning other languages will also offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others, and cultural differences. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners.