Inspire Languages

Intent

At Larkrise Primary School, we want to inspire our children through learning another Language other than English. We are so fortunate at Larkrise to have a large proportion of our children speak two or more different languages, and this is celebrated in our Inspire Curriculum.

We have adapted our language curriculum using the Language Angels scheme to support teaching Spanish. This is based on the Languages National Curriculum, which is statutory from KS2. Our Inspire English and Geography curriculum, as well as areas of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, including ‘Communication and Language’ and ‘Understanding of the World’ contribute to children’s readiness to learn Spanish once they reach KS2.

In younger year groups, we celebrate the home languages that are spoken by the children by learning simple phrases and understanding different cultures. 

When children reach Key Stage 2 they will formally be taught Spanish. 

Inspire Knowledge and Skills:  We provide a language curriculum that balances acquiring broad and deep knowledge alongside opportunities to apply skills in various contexts. Beyond teaching languages discreetly, we will give children the opportunity to apply and develop what they have learned across wider learning within the Inspire Curriculum.

Inspire Creativity & Adventure: Languages at Larkrise intends to develop ‘linguists of the future’ through a modern, ambitious and relevant education in modern languages. We want to equip children to use thinking in a different language than their own and to see the world through its spectrum in a way that will enable them to become active global citizens. It is important to us that the children understand how to use a modern foreign language to express themselves, as tools for learning and as a means to drive their generation forward into the future.

Inspire Kindness: Introducing children to another language, we work towards introducing them to a whole new culture that comes with it and to the similarities and differences that it might have to the one they are used to. This will assist our children to broaden their horizons to new worlds and people, to be more understanding of the multicultural aspect of our communities, and put a strong base on acceptance and kindness towards this multiculturality and diversity. 

Our scheme of work for Languages has adapted from the “Language Angels” Curriculum and covers all aspects of the National Curriculum. This scheme was chosen because it was created by subject experts and is based on the latest pedagogical research. It provides an innovative progression framework where language content (concepts, knowledge, skills, and objectives) has been organised into interconnected pathways which can be found in the Languages Progression Grids.

The Language Angels Curriculum is structured in units, separated into three Teaching Types: 

• Early Language
• Intermediate
• Progressive 

Each unit offers the opportunity to explore the following areas of the Languages Curriculum.

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Progression occurs in each of the key skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar within and across each Teaching Type and Unit, as exemplified in our Languages Progression Grids. With support from Language Angels, we have carefully allocated units to year groups based on our assessment of children’s prior language learning. This is because, other than beginning the year with the Phonetics unit, the units themselves do not need to be taught in order, as long as they are in the appropriate learning level of the year group. The lessons within a unit must be taught in order.

Language Angels also contains supplementary units focused on Key Vocabulary, which we use to support embedding the language in classrooms, even if the discrete lessons are not taught by the class teacher and Grammar, which can support adult subject knowledge and, in particular, stretch and challenge our most high-attaining learners.

Although some vocabulary is recapped across topics, most units present new language learning, though Key Vocabulary and sentence structures will be revisited.

Implementation 

The Language Angels Curriculum has been written to support all children. Each lesson allows the children to access the new vocabulary taught through visuals and listening materials, it contains various activities and challenges for the children to train their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Each lesson is accompanied by appropriate activities, which are scaffolded so that all children can succeed and thrive. Scaffolded activities provide children with extra resources, such as visual prompts, to reach the same learning goals as the rest of the class.

We are currently developing our learning resources for the LanguagesCurriculum, including how to embed language learning in the classroom, with the use of relevant and interactive displays. 

Like all areas of our Inspire Curriculum, we have used research evidence to develop our pedagogy of teaching and learning. For more information please see our Inclusive Quality First Teaching Key Principles.

Impact

By the time children in Year 6 leave us, we want them to have the following experiences and understanding: 

Inspire Knowledge and Skills: Children will have the knowledge and skills to be able to:

• Understand simple audio in Spanish with confidence
• Write small texts in Spanish and write a text from memory
• Read and comprehend words and texts 

Inspire Creativity & Adventure: As part of the Inspire MFL Curriculum, children will be involved in the following projects:

• Broadening their vocabulary through various activities and resources
• Engage in conversations, ask and answer questions, express opinions and respond to those of others
• Appreciate songs, stories, poems, and rhymes in the modern foreign language

Inspire Kindness: By the end of Year 6, children will have:

• Be able to use Spanish to communicate with a person who speaks Spanish.
• Get familiar with the culture connected to the language taught and appreciate it.

More information on the impact of the Curriculum can be seen in our celebration Magazine, ‘Larkrise Look’.