MFL

Foreign Exchange Visit

MFL at Cottage Grove

In line with the National Curriculum, MFL at CGPS provides opportunities for pupils that enable them to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.

MFL lessons are delivered consistently to all KS2 classes. These lessons involve understanding and responding to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.

Education as a whole and languages specifically provide opportunities for our children that many would not experience otherwise. With our position in Europe as it is and our relations with the wider world, it is more important than ever that our children and young people are able to communicate with other countries and cultures effectively and that they understand the similarities and differences between those countries and cultures.

Learning languages in the classroom creates a level playing field for all, where children of all abilities (including those with EAL) can progress and succeed. The confidence and progress that we see in our MFL lessons is a pleasure to watch.

"Skilful French teaching gives pupils a secure grounding in vocabulary, with plenty of opportunities for pupils to practise speaking French." - Ofsted 2016

French Speaking Workshop

French Exchange Visit

French Speaking Workshop

French Breakfast

What others say about our MFL

We are very proud that MFL is recognised as an area of excellence in the school through the Challenge Partners programme. The report states: ‘The school has been developing the provision for French for some time. A highly competent member of staff is a fluent French speaker and is successfully training colleagues.’ In our Ofsted report from 3–4 February 2016, within the quality of teaching, learning and assessment section, it states:

            • Skilful French teaching gives pupils a secure grounding in vocabulary, with plenty of opportunities for pupils to practise speaking French.

The Challenge Partners Quality Assurance Review Written Report 1 – 3 March 2017 states:

            • The school is highly influential in promoting the subject locally. For example, the subject leader was instrumental in setting up an MFL hub in Portsmouth which was supported by the Association for Language Learning.

            • A support network for MFL teachers in other schools across the city has been established. Fifteen teachers attended the first meeting which focused on phonics and allowed an opportunity for collaboration and networking.

            • Teachers have a clear idea of how to present new vocabulary and how to develop memorisation through knowledge of phonics and repetition techniques. They are aware of the level of grammar that Year 5 and 6 pupils are capable of and can see, in practice, that students are able to write at text level, using conjunctions, pronouns, verbs in the present tense and adjectival agreements.

In relation to pupils’ outcomes, the report states:

            • The results of regular assessments (based on the Common European Framework for Languages) indicate that pupils are making good progress towards the end of key stage expectations.

            • The impact on pupils’ outcomes is not confined to French. Regular work on phonics, and grammatical terms and development of memory through a variety of strategies during French lessons reinforces pupils learning in English.

            • Pupils are making links between English and French grammar, noting the similarities and differences between them. For example, in year 3, the pupils recognised that adjectives come after the noun in French.

MFL Excellence and Innovation

Mrs Allen

Our MFL manager, also a Specialist Leader in Education (SLE), delivers a number of CPD sessions for primary and secondary teachers from around the city and across the south as a whole. She has been involved with setting up and running the ALL Primary Languages Hub. The hub meets once a term and organises CPD for any teachers that would like to attend. Once a year, the school runs an event in conjunction with the University of Portsmouth. PGCE trainee teachers come to CGPS and observe English lessons in KS2. This is followed by an afternoon of French and Art for our Year 5 children. Teachers from around the city are invited to observe and for the last two last two years, we have opened the event up to other schools.