MFL/International Curriculum

We are extremely proud and privileged to have been awarded the International School Award (Reaccreditation Level) in recognition of the international curriculum we offer at Hadrian Park Primary School. We foster an international ethos and embed global themes and issues across all subject areas as part of a broad and balanced curriculum. We have also just completed an Erasmus+ Project with a partner school in Germany, funded by the British Council. We were fortunate to be able to take a group of Year 5 pupils to visit our partner school in December 2019, where they participated in a range of lessons, explored the local area and visited a traditional German Christmas market. This was a fantastic experience for all those involved and we are hoping to keep working with our friends in Germany in the future.

We have also completed international activities through the Global School Alliance, including a weather watch with a number of schools around the world and celebrating World Ocean Day with a school in India. Every year, each class chooses a country from around the world and then this is used to inspire different lessons across the curriculum. All of these opportunities help to foster our pupils’ interest and curiosity in exploring other countries and cultures and learning new vocabulary to help them communicate with people who speak a different language.

At Hadrian Park, we believe that learning a Modern Foreign Language helps to prepare our pupils for living and working within a rapidly changing world. Children of primary school age are very receptive to learning a new language and we aim to capture and fulfil this potential from an early age. We plan and deliver engaging and practical MFL lessons that encourage pupils to express their ideas in another language and to be able to respond effectively, both in speech and writing.

In EYFS and Key Stage 1, pupils are taught basic Spanish words and phrases through games, rhymes and songs. Our main focus is to develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills and ignite their passion for learning a language. Pupils begin to ask and respond to simple questions, name objects and respond to simple instructions.

In Key Stage 2, all pupils are taught weekly Spanish lessons. We plan stimulating lessons that develop our pupils’ enthusiasm for learning a modern foreign language. Using Language Angels, we ensure that pupils are taught the fundamental pillars of language learning from the outset: phonics, grammar and vocabulary. Pupils continue to develop their speaking and listening skills through role play activities, songs and games. Pupils learn to read words, phrases and sentences, applying their phonological skills in another language with growing confidence. We provide a wide range of opportunities to develop pupils’ writing skills including postcards, menus, fact files and weather forecasts. Pupils also learn to use bilingual dictionaries in order to translate words from Spanish to English and English to Spanish.