Accordion content

Accordion content

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build knowledge and develop skills progressively over time. We use Primary Languages Network to support curriculum design, drawing carefully on its progression of knowledge and skills to ensure learning builds securely from pupils’ starting points towards increasingly complex concepts and outcomes.

The scheme is not used as an off-the-shelf curriculum. Leaders and teachers carefully select, adapt and supplement its content to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and the needs of our pupils. This includes adding our own learning where appropriate and considering pupils’ backgrounds, cultures, experiences and local context, ensuring that the curriculum is relevant, representative and ambitious for the children at St Nicholas.

Progression mapping is carefully applied across our mixed-age classes, ensuring pupils access their age-appropriate curriculum entitlement while making meaningful connections with learning across the class. Teachers use progression documents to identify what pupils should know, understand and be able to do, building deliberately on prior learning, avoiding unnecessary repetition and preparing pupils for what comes next.

This ensures that, while Primary Languages Network provides a strong structure and progression framework, the curriculum pupils experience is distinctly our own: carefully designed, inclusive and responsive to the St Nicholas community.

At St Nicholas, we believe that learning a Modern Foreign Language helps pupils develop confidence in communication, curiosity about other cultures and a wider understanding of the world.

Our Key Stage 2 MFL curriculum is carefully sequenced, allowing pupils to build and revisit their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and language skills. Pupils develop their ability to listen, speak, read and write in another language through engaging and meaningful topics.

The curriculum meets the aims of the National Curriculum by developing pupils' ability to understand and communicate ideas, take part in conversations, express opinions, develop accurate pronunciation and read and write simple phrases and texts.

MFL also supports learning across the wider curriculum, with links to subjects including Geography, History, Science, PSHE, Computing, DT and RE. Cultural experiences, such as exploring Carnival, tapas and celebrations, help pupils develop respect and appreciation for different cultures.
Through MFL, we aim to equip pupils with the skills, confidence and cultural awareness to communicate effectively and become respectful, open-minded global citizens.

Assessment in Spanish is continuous and informs both teaching and learning throughout the curriculum. Pupils are assessed against the four core language skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, using the progression statements for each stage. These statements provide clear expectations of the knowledge and skills pupils should demonstrate as they move through the four stages of learning.

Assessment is based on the following progression principles:

• Listening – Pupils progress from understanding a few familiar spoken words and phrases to understanding the main points and some detail from short spoken passages containing familiar language.
• Speaking – Pupils develop from saying and repeating a few familiar words and short phrases to asking and answering questions on several topics, expressing opinions, and taking part in simple conversations with generally accurate pronunciation.
• Reading – Pupils progress from recognising and reading familiar words and phrases to understanding the main points and simple opinions within longer written texts, using phonics and bilingual dictionaries to support their understanding of unfamiliar language.
• Writing – Pupils develop from copying or writing a few simple words to producing short connected texts that accurately use nouns, adjectives and commonly used regular verbs in the present tense on familiar topics, with increasing independence.

Teachers assess these four strands through a range of formative assessment opportunities embedded within lessons, including observation, questioning, paired and group speaking activities, role play, presentations, listening tasks, reading comprehension activities, written work and retrieval practice. Assessment is ongoing and enables teachers to monitor pupils' progress against the stage-specific progression criteria rather than a single end-point assessment.

Teachers use assessment information to identify misconceptions and gaps in learning. Regular retrieval practice, revisiting previously taught vocabulary and grammatical structures, and cumulative review are built into lessons to strengthen long-term retention. Where gaps are identified, teachers respond by adapting planning, providing additional modelling, targeted questioning, scaffolded tasks, small-group support and further opportunities for pupils to practise and apply language in meaningful contexts. This responsive approach ensures pupils develop secure foundations in each of the four language skills before moving on to more complex vocabulary, grammar and language structures.

Accordion content

Accordion content

Pupil voice reflects the value we place on MFL across St Nicholas. We want pupils to recognise that learning another language is an important part of their education, developing communication skills, cultural awareness and curiosity about the wider world. We value MFL as a subject that enriches the curriculum and provides children with meaningful opportunities to broaden their experiences and understanding of different languages and cultures

“My favourite part is singing the Spanish songs because it makes the lesson fun.”- Year 3 pupil 

“Spanish can be difficult but in a good way. I like learning a new word and then trying to use it in a sentence.”- Year 6 pupil 

“I like learning Spanish because I might go to Spain one day and be able to speak Spanish.”- Year 4 child 

“I like that Spanish lessons are really interactive. We don't just sit and write – we speak, listen, play games and sometimes sing.”- Year 5 child