MFL - French
Our vision:
The MFL department at Orsett Heath Academy aims to provide pupils with opportunities to develop their confidence, cultural awareness, creativity and communication skills, which in turn will help them to build their emotional intelligence and shape them into well-rounded individuals who can thrive in a multicultural society.
Pupils will develop these qualities through engaging and interactive lessons covering the key skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. This will build their knowledge of various topic areas and an awareness of key grammar points to allow them to flourish. These four key skills will develop across Key Stage 3 and into Key Stage 4 in readiness for GCSE level and pupils will have regular opportunities to practise GCSE style tasks, building in difficulty, from year 7. Pupils will be encouraged to take risks along the way by taking part in whole class and individual activities practising their pronunciation and listening skills and to become resilient learners with a ‘never give up’ attitude. Communication is the essence of MFL and pupils will receive regular and instantaneous verbal feedback throughout their lessons. Learning is structured to develop pupils’ confidence and provide them with the tools to ultimately communicate spontaneously. This is achieved via schemes of learning which build from language recognition to production and from aural/comprehension to oral/written tasks.
Assessment opportunities are built into the schemes of learning and are designed to build on pupils’ existing knowledge base rather than as standalone topic assessments. This structure will allow both teachers and pupils to identify gaps in learning and ensure these are revisited. Pupils will be provided with opportunities for reflection on formal teacher feedback and will also use both peer and self assessment to help them determine areas for improvement.
The MFL department at Orsett Heath Academy strives to broaden the cultural capital of its pupils by introducing them to different cultures and the world beyond the school walls. We aim to give our students cultural experiences through lesson based activities, cross curricular opportunities and overseas trips where they can see language in action on a day to day basis.
It is our aim to give all of our pupils the chance to meet their individual potential and understand their place in the wider world and, of course, to enjoy their learning journey along the way. We believe that courage, respect and hard work are the building blocks to success. We hope that allowing pupils to express themselves and celebrating diversity in a positive learning environment will result in independent, resilient and respectful young people with a love of the world around them.
We see our key objectives as:
- Developing the resilience and independence to communicate in a foreign language;
- Widening horizons and developing pupils’ awareness of and empathy for a variety of cultures.
As a department, we believe that MFL is important to a student’s programme of study as it:
- supports an understanding of living in today’s multicultural society and fosters a curiosity of the wider world;
- builds communication, interpersonal and public speaking skills;
- develops linguistic skills, including those in English;
- increases brain capacity and improves memory;
- open doors to the wider world.
Key Stage Three Programme of Study
Key Stage Four Programme of Study
Exam Board –
Names and email addresses of key post-holders:
Mrs Whittington Curriculum Leader for MfL – whittingtonn@oha.swecet.org