MFL at Boston Pioneers

Our MFL Intent

At Pioneers Academy, we believe that learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides a window into other cultures. We believe all learners should have access to a high-quality languages education which should nurture their curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.

Through well-sequenced lessons, we aim to ensure that by the end of our learners' primary education, we hope to have developed within our learners an understanding of another language in both spoken and written forms, a confidence to speak it with others and a knowledge of how important other languages can be in their future.

What Language do we teach at Boston Pioneers?

At Pioneers Academy, our chosen MFL is Spanish.

There are several reasons for our choice:

Spanish is one of the easiest languages to learn.
It is the most widely spoken languages in the world after English, being spoken not only in Spain but in Latin America.
Spanish is the predominant language taught within the local secondary schools that we feed into.

Do we teach Spanish at Boston Pioneers?

Our MFL curriculum provides our learners with a clear path of progress in terms of language and grammar structures, through weekly lessons that last for between 30 and 40 minutes.

We use the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to support the delivery of our Spanish lessons.

As learners move through Key Stage 2, they will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes. The content (key vocabulary and language constructions) are then revisited throughout their primary journey, through 'recall' and 'recharge' activities in order that foundations of learning are secured.

In lower KS2, Early Language units will be delivered. These are entry-level units and are designed for those with little or no previous foreign language learning experience.

As they move into upper key stage 2, they will then move onto Intermediate units, which increase the level of challenge by increasing the amount and complexity of both the foreign language and linked grammar concepts taught. These are designed for pupils with an embedded basic knowledge of Spanish.

What are the 'Big Ideas' within our MFL curriculum?

Through our Spanish Curriculum, we aspire for our learners to:

Experience the richness and diversity of language and experiment with its use; explore the culture and customs within the country of origin. i.e. Learn about the culture linked to the language they are learning.
Develop a bank of keywords and phrases through speaking, listening, games and songs. i.e. Develop a core vocabulary in a second language.
Develop conversational skills through focus on sentence structure and grammatical conventions. i.e. Be able to hold a simple conversation in a second language.
Develop through links to phonics, knowledge of vocabulary and the use of picture books and familiar stories the ability to read in another language.
Develop through vocabulary, conversation and reading and phonics, the ability to write in another language.

Our Long-Term Plan for Spanish 2024.25:

	Year 3	Year 4	Year 5	Year 6
Autumn 1	Phonetics 1 (XT) & I Am Learning Sp (E)	Phonetics 1-2 (XT) & Seasons (E)	Phonetics 1-3 (XT) & Clothes (I)	Phonetics 1-4 (XT) & My Home (I)
Autumn 2	Animals (E)	Vegetables (E)	The Date (I)	Habitats (I)
Spring 1	Instruments (E)	In the Classroom (IN)	What is the Weather? (I)	At School (P)
Spring 2	I Know How To… (E)	Presenting Myself (I)	Do You Have a Pet? (I)	At the Weekend (P)
Summer 1	Fruits (E)	My Family (I)	At the Café (I)	Me in the World (P)
Summer 2	Recap of all units plus Spanish Culture - La Tomatina (CV)	Recap of all units plus Spanish Culture - Las Fallas de Valencia	Recap of all units plus Spanish Culture - La Fiesta San Fermin	Recap of all units plus Spanish Culture - El Dia de los Muerto.

E	Early language teaching
I	Intermediate language teaching
P	Progressive language teaching