Modern Foreign Languages

What does MFL look like at Brill?

At Brill Church of England School, we believe that learning another language helps children to broaden their horizons, develop curiosity about the wider world and communicate with increasing confidence.

Our principal language is French, and children begin encountering the language from the Early Years and Key Stage 1 before progressing into more structured language learning throughout Key Stage 2.

Our MFL curriculum is planned by our specialist MFL teacher specifically for Brill, ensuring a coherent and progressive journey from children’s earliest experiences of French through to Year 6.

In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, learning is delivered by class teachers using planning and resources created by our specialist. From Year 3 onwards, children receive dedicated teaching from our specialist MFL teacher, enabling them to develop increasingly secure knowledge of French pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar alongside the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.

We want children to enjoy learning another language and develop the confidence to have a go, communicate and discover more about languages and cultures beyond their own.

INTENT

Our MFL curriculum is ambitious for every child.

We want children to develop a positive and confident attitude towards language learning, building strong foundations that will prepare them for further language study at secondary school and encourage an interest in languages that extends beyond the classroom.

Through our French curriculum, we aim for children to:

• develop confidence in listening to and understanding spoken French;
• speak with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation;
• build and retain a growing bank of vocabulary;
• understand and use increasingly complex phrases and sentences;
• develop their ability to read and understand written French;
• write words, phrases and sentences with increasing independence;
• develop an age-appropriate understanding of French grammar;
• recognise patterns and make connections within language;
• communicate for a range of simple purposes;
• develop strategies for understanding unfamiliar language;
• explore aspects of French-speaking cultures and communities;
• recognise similarities and differences between French and English; and
• develop curiosity about languages and the wider world.

We want children to understand that learning a language requires practice, listening, memory and courage.

Getting something wrong is part of learning to communicate.

We encourage children to be bold in using new language, brave enough to have a go and Brill-iant in communicating with others.

IMPLEMENTATION

A Bespoke Brill Curriculum

Our French curriculum has been designed and planned by our specialist MFL teacher specifically for the children of Brill.

This enables us to provide a coherent progression of knowledge and skills rather than treating language learning as a series of disconnected topics.

Learning builds progressively from the Early Years through to Year 6, with vocabulary, grammatical knowledge and language structures deliberately introduced, revisited and developed over time.

Our specialist teacher oversees the curriculum across the school, providing planning and resources for class teachers in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 before directly delivering specialist MFL teaching throughout Key Stage 2.

This provides continuity across children’s entire Brill journey.

Early Language Learning – EYFS and Key Stage 1

Although statutory MFL teaching begins in Key Stage 2, we believe there is real value in giving younger children positive and enjoyable early experiences of another language.

In the Early Years and Key Stage 1, class teachers introduce children to French using planning and resources developed by our MFL specialist.

Learning at this stage is playful, practical and predominantly oral.

Children begin to encounter the sounds and rhythms of French, develop simple vocabulary and become comfortable hearing, repeating and using unfamiliar words and phrases.

Songs, rhymes, games, repetition and conversation help children develop confidence without creating pressure to master formal written language too early.

These experiences establish curiosity and familiarity so that children enter Key Stage 2 ready and excited to learn more.

Specialist Teaching in Key Stage 2

From Year 3 to Year 6, French is taught by our specialist MFL teacher.

Children progressively develop the four key areas of language learning:

Listening – Speaking – Reading – Writing

Lessons provide regular opportunities to hear authentic French, respond orally, practise pronunciation, read increasingly complex language and communicate through writing.

The specialist teaching model enables children to benefit from strong subject knowledge, accurate modelling of pronunciation and carefully planned progression across Key Stage 2.

Building Vocabulary and Language

A growing vocabulary provides the foundation for successful communication.

Children learn new words and phrases within meaningful contexts and are given regular opportunities to retrieve, revisit and apply previously learned language.

As children progress, they move beyond learning isolated words towards combining vocabulary and language structures to create increasingly independent sentences and responses.

Children learn to notice patterns within language and make connections between new and previously learned vocabulary.

We want them to become increasingly able to use what they know rather than simply repeat what they have been taught.

Grammar and Language Structures

Children gradually develop an understanding of how French works as a language.

They encounter age-appropriate grammatical concepts and begin to recognise that languages have their own rules and structures.

As their knowledge develops, children learn to manipulate familiar vocabulary and structures to communicate their own meanings, rather than relying solely upon memorised phrases.

They also make comparisons with English, helping them develop a deeper understanding of language itself.

Speaking and Listening

We want our classrooms to be places where children feel confident to speak French without worrying about being perfect.

Children listen carefully to their teacher, recordings and one another and develop increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation.

Regular opportunities for repetition, questioning, conversation, games, songs and paired work help children build fluency and confidence.

Learning another language requires children to take a small risk every time they speak.

We celebrate the willingness to have a go.

Reading and Writing

As children progress through Key Stage 2, reading and writing become increasingly important elements of their language learning.

Children learn to recognise familiar words and structures in written French and use their growing knowledge to understand increasingly complex texts.

In writing, they progress from individual words and short phrases towards constructing sentences with greater independence and accuracy.

They are encouraged to draw upon their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and language patterns to communicate meaning effectively.

Languages, Culture and the Wider World

Learning French is about more than learning words.

Children also develop an awareness that French is spoken by people and communities in different parts of the world and that languages are connected to culture, identity and place.

Through their learning, children encounter aspects of life and culture within French-speaking communities and develop curiosity about similarities and differences between their own experiences and those of others.

This complements our Brill Horizons curriculum, encouraging children to look beyond their immediate surroundings and recognise themselves as part of a diverse and interconnected world.

An Inclusive MFL Curriculum

Languages are for every child at Brill.

Our curriculum is carefully structured so that new learning builds upon secure foundations. Repetition, visual prompts, modelling, actions, songs and opportunities for oral rehearsal support children with different starting points and learning needs.

Appropriate adaptations enable pupils with SEND and additional needs to participate meaningfully, while children who demonstrate greater confidence are challenged to apply familiar language with increasing independence, complexity and creativity.

Success in MFL is not about who can memorise the longest vocabulary list.

It is about developing the confidence and knowledge to communicate.

IMPACT

By the end of their Brill journey, we want our children to be confident, curious and enthusiastic language learners.

We want children to leave Brill able to:

• understand increasingly complex spoken French;
• communicate orally with growing confidence and accuracy;
• demonstrate clear and increasingly accurate pronunciation;
• recall and apply a secure bank of vocabulary;
• understand and use familiar grammatical structures;
• read and understand age-appropriate French;
• communicate ideas through written French;
• use prior knowledge to work out unfamiliar language;
• recognise patterns and connections within languages;
• understand that French is spoken within diverse communities around the world;
• demonstrate curiosity about other languages and cultures; and
• approach future language learning with confidence.

Most importantly, we want children to leave Brill believing:

“I can learn another language.”

We want them to have the confidence to communicate even when they do not know every word, the curiosity to discover more about the wider world and strong foundations upon which their future language learning can build.

Learning another language quite literally broadens children’s horizons – making it a natural and important part of Brill Horizons.

Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Brill-iant.