MFL

Our Intent

At Sholing Junior School, our intention in teaching Spanish, our chosen foreign language throughout KS2, is to reflect the National Curriculum’s belief that learning a language can liberate children from insularity and open doors to other cultures. Through Spanish, we aim to nurture curiosity, encouraging pupils to explore, question, and deepen their understanding of the wider world.

We strive to create a learning environment rooted in kindness, where pupils show respect for other cultures and languages, and support one another as they develop new skills. Our approach ensures that every child feels valued and confident to express their ideas and thoughts in Spanish, both in speech and writing, while understanding and responding to its speakers.

By providing opportunities for practical communication, exposure to literature, and cultural experiences from Spanish-speaking countries, we empower pupils to achieve success in language learning. This success is not only measured by academic progress but also by the confidence, resilience, and enjoyment they demonstrate as they engage with Spanish in lessons and beyond.

We celebrate diversity through European days and intercultural events, fostering an inclusive community where kindness and respect are central. Our teaching balances spoken and written language, laying strong foundations for future language learning at KS3 and beyond. With a practical, engaging approach, we encourage pupils to speak Spanish confidently in lessons and around the school, promoting curiosity and enthusiasm for language learning.

Ultimately, by learning Spanish, our children will develop the skills, attitudes, and values that prepare them to thrive in a global society—embracing kindness, pursuing curiosity, and achieving success in all they do.

 

Aims

The aims and objectives of learning a Modern Foreign Language in our school are to:

  • Foster an interest in learning other languages.
  • Introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun.
  • Encourage children to be aware that language has structure and that the structure differs from one language to another.
  • Develop their speaking and listening skills.
  • Lay the foundations for future study.
  • Develop the enjoyment of learning to speak another language.
  • Build on and foster young children’s enthusiasm and commitment in the challenge of language learning.
  • Provide a medium for cross-curricular links and to reinforce knowledge skills and understanding developed in other subjects.

The children are taught how to:

  • Ask and answer questions.
  • Use correct pronunciation and grammar.
  • Memorise words.
  • Interpret meaning.
  • Understand basic grammar.
  • Work in pairs and groups and communicate in Spanish.
  • Recognise the link between written and spoken text.

 

Implementation 

At Sholing Junior School, our Modern Foreign Languages curriculum follows the Primary Languages Network scheme of work (Click2Teach/Video2Teach). This dynamic scheme is continually updated to meet current curriculum standards and reflects our commitment to curiosity by providing pupils with authentic, engaging resources that spark interest in language and culture.

The scheme is rooted in Intent, Implementation, and Impact, maintaining a strong primary focus while embedding opportunities for pupils to experience success at every stage. Alongside detailed planning, pupils access videos, PowerPoints, audio files spoken by native speakers, authentic literature, songs, games, cultural points of reference, seasonal events, and cross-curricular links—encouraging kindness through respect for diverse cultures and traditions.

Children in KS2 progress through language learning stages from Stage 1 in Year 3 to Stage 4 in Year 6. This progressive structure ensures that foundations are laid early and built upon systematically, enabling every child to experience success and develop confidence in their language learning journey. Each term, lessons explicitly reinforce our school values of kindness, curiosity, and success, helping pupils understand how these values apply to language learning and cultural understanding.

To promote active and enjoyable language learning, we use a range of teaching methods that foster curiosity and creativity. Pupils develop linguistic skills through listening, speaking, reading, and writing, ensuring they are well-prepared for secondary education. Activities include actions, rhymes, stories, songs, drama, grammar focus, video clips, air writing, sentence structure, dictionary work, and book-making—providing varied opportunities for success and engagement.

Written work is recorded in workbooks, though formal writing is not the expected outcome of every lesson. Writing skills are developed gradually through whiteboard practice and air writing before progressing to written work in books. Throughout, we encourage pupils to support one another and celebrate achievements, embedding kindness as a core value in collaborative learning.

To ensure pupils maintain knowledge and do not forget, weekly retrieval activities are built into lessons. These include vocabulary recall, short quizzes, and speaking tasks that revisit prior learning. This approach reinforces success and builds confidence, while encouraging curiosity through connections with previous topics.