Considerations

When planning to introduce a Modern Foreign Language, schools need to consider:

• the aims and objectives for teaching a Modern Foreign Language;
• the choice of Modern Foreign Language;
• the age at which the language is to be introduced;
• the availability of suitably trained teachers and the amount and frequency of teaching time, including the number of weeks taught in the school year;
• continuity and progression from class to class and from primary to secondary school.

Aims and purposes

Modern Foreign Languages offer opportunities for children to:

• become increasingly familiar with the sounds and written form of a Modern Foreign Language;
• develop language skills and language-learning skills;
• understand and communicate in a new language;
• make comparisons between the foreign language and English or another language;
• increase their cultural awareness by learning about different countries and their people, and working with materials from those countries and communities;
• foster positive attitudes towards foreign language learning;
• use their knowledge and growing confidence and competence to understand what they hear and read, and to express themselves in speech and writing;
• form a basis for further study at Key Stage 3 and beyond.

Fitting a new language into the curriculum

Ideally, a language should be taught regularly and reinforced frequently. Time allocation should be sufficient to ensure that pupils' learning can be properly reinforced.

Having decided in which year groups or mixed-aged classes a language will be taught and the amount of time to be allocated, schools might consider how time will be distributed throughout the year to ensure that pupils make sustained progress.

ELL might be planned as an extension to the whole curriculum, adding a new dimension, rather than as a 'bolt on' extra. Links with other subjects, especially Literacy, Geography and ICT can be highly productive.

Planning for progression

Schools might create a scheme of work or framework that indicates how pupils might be helped to progress. This includes progression in:

• developing language skills and language-learning skills;
• listening, speaking, reading and writing skills;
• awareness of different countries, cultures and people;
• developing understanding of how language works;
• understanding, learning and applying simple aspects of grammar.

Building on children's earlier experiences

To progress in their language learning, children should be given opportunities to re-use, in an increasing range of contexts, the skills, vocabulary, structures and grammar they have learnt. As they become more competent in using the foreign language, they should be encouraged to manipulate language more independently. The principle of constantly 'recycling' language is the key to becoming a proficient language learner and should form part of a planned scheme of work.

Some primary schools teach MFL at Key Stage 1. When planning the Key Stage 2 curriculum it is important to build on what children have already learnt.