Modern Foreign Languages

Purpose

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

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 students’ 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.

 Key concepts that underpin the curriculum

Key linguistic concepts
1	Pronunciation and intonation
2	Acquisition & practice of vocabulary
3	Understanding and application of grammar
4	Extracting key messages
5	Linguistic accuracy
6	Effective communication
7	Cultural awareness
8	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 five skills of listening, reading, speaking, writing and translation. We use technology both in and outside the classroom to enhance the learning, for example, Linguascope or languagesonline to help students learn vocabulary outside the classroom, where they independently use websites to support their individual progress.

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. 

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 independently
- Variety – whole/group/pair/individual work
- Practice of the five skills
- Clear learning objectives with structured progression
- Adaptive learning/teaching
- Formative assessment
- 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?

- Variety of reading, listening, translation and writing tasks, including gap fill / match up / short paragraphs or individual sentences, whether handwritten or on support sheets
- Green pen corrections in response to individual, peer marking or whole class feedback
- Red pen from staff including coded marking and individual feedback on specific written tasks. Followed by the DIRT section with the students corrections done in green pen
- Vocabulary and grammar notes, in vocabulary books at KS3 and vocabulary tests in vocabulary books in KS4
- Logical sequencing
- High standards of presentation

What formative assessment will you see in MFL?

- MWBs
- Misconception identification & correction
- Questioning
- Feedback on specific pieces of written work
- Testing your partner/peer-assessed tasks
- Vocabulary tests in vocabulary books
- Verbal feedback both teacher & peer
- Regular vocab tests, at the back of the book in KS3 and in vocab books in KS4
- Red pen marking of class & homework. Green pen self-marking

What extra curricular is available from the MFL department? 

- Weekly KS3 Spanish and French Clubs

- Weekly KS4 Spanish and French booster/revision sessions

- At KS5 students are guided to use online resources and develop their independent skills by reading around the A Level topics studied and make the most of realia materials online