Languages
Back to Subjects MenuWhat is the Intent of the Languages Curriculum?
“The study of languages opens pupils’ minds and opens doors of opportunity”
OFSTED Curriculum research review series: languages 2021
At The Marsh Academy, we recognise that every student is capable of excellence and therefore students of all abilities are given the opportunity to study and be successful in learning an additional language. Through a broad and balanced curriculum, students are encouraged to express their own ideas and opinions in a different language, developing a curiosity and understanding of other cultures from around the world.
Our curriculum is carefully planned to ensure that students are provided with the building blocks to create firm foundations for further language learning, whether that be at GCSE level or beyond. Curriculum content and skills are clearly defined in our Unit Planners which revisit and build on existing knowledge. Introducing students to a wide range of topics and themes, enables them to understand and respond to speakers of the target language in both speech and writing across various contexts.
We want our students to foster a love of life-long language learning with transferable skills such as confidence, communication, problem solving and creativity. These key skills, entwined with the knowledge of an additional language, help to open doors of opportunity for our students, to broaden their horizons and allow them to be equipped with the knowledge and cultural capital they need to be as successful as possible.
The curriculum is planned in a way that lessons are engaging, fun and students are motivated to learn and feel successful in their language learning. Vocabulary, phonics, and grammar are regularly revisited to ensure that this knowledge is regularly returned to working-memory in a bid to ensure that it is learnt well enough to be retained in long-term memory. This automaticity allows for deeper learning to occur due to creating more ‘free space’ for new knowledge to be acquired. Knowledge Organisers (with regular rehearsal opportunity and self-assessment) and Sentence Builders have been created to support this. When new vocabulary is introduced, this is done gradually with students having the opportunity to rehearse and practise it well, using a range of the 4 ‘modalities’ of language – Reading Writing, Listening and Speaking. There is also a focus on providing clear examples, structure and modelling to ensure that our learners are given explicit instructions, while at the ‘novice’ learning stage. An example of this could be a structure strip to support writing by way of suggesting what sort of thing needs to be written. This might then be written as a whole class text to provide students with an understanding of the writing process followed by the student independently attempting the same task. Over time, the support will be gradually removed until the student has mastered the ability to write independently. Additionally, our curriculum is progressive which allows us to build upon previously taught knowledge and use it across a range of different topics and contexts.
Throughout the curriculum, students are introduced to the culture and life experiences of people living in French speaking countries, such as: special occasions and festivals, the French school system, and sports. Students will also be exposed to the importance of language learning and the opportunities that this could provide. For example: job opportunities, travelling and living abroad. We want to ensure that students see how this could be relevant to them, especially when we consider our geographical distance to France.
