MFL
Modern Foreign Languages – Curriculum Intent Statement
Purpose of the Subject
Through Spanish, we aim to open the world to our children. Learning a new language helps pupils develop curiosity, cultural awareness and the confidence to communicate beyond their immediate experience. Our MFL curriculum reflects the diverse nature of our school community, ensuring every child sees language learning as something they can succeed in, regardless of background or prior experience. We want pupils to develop a love of languages, an appreciation of global cultures and the foundations for future language study.
Alignment with the National Curriculum
In line with the National Curriculum, we teach children to:
- Understand and respond to spoken and written Spanish from a variety of authentic sources.
- Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and accuracy.
- Write at varying length for different purposes and audiences.
- Broaden their vocabulary and deepen their understanding of grammar.
- Develop an appreciation of the culture, traditions and daily life of Spanish‑speaking communities.
Curriculum Coverage
Our Spanish curriculum provides:
- Mirrors – opportunities for children to see their own identities, cultures and experiences reflected in the themes, texts and cultural content we explore.
- Windows – opportunities to learn about Spanish‑speaking countries, communities and traditions across the world.
We select content from the National Curriculum and design engaging, meaningful units that build linguistic confidence, cultural understanding and real‑world communication skills.
Curriculum Progression
Our MFL curriculum is built around four interrelated strands of knowledge:
1. Procedural Knowledge (Language Skills)
Procedural knowledge represents the practical skills children need to communicate in Spanish. These skills are mapped in a vertically integrated progression from Year 3 to Year 6. Children begin by developing core listening and speaking skills, progressing to reading, writing and conversational fluency. SOLO taxonomy supports this progression, enabling pupils to move from simple words and phrases to more complex structures and independent communication.
2. Disciplinary Knowledge (The “Big Ideas” of Language Learning)
Disciplinary knowledge represents the conceptual frameworks that underpin language learning. These include:
- Phonics – understanding Spanish pronunciation patterns
- Vocabulary – building a broad and functional bank of words
- Grammar – understanding how language is structured
- Communication – using language for real purposes
- Culture – understanding the lives, traditions and identities of Spanish‑speaking people
These concepts are taught, revisited and applied in every year group, helping children understand how languages work and how meaning is constructed.
3. Substantive Knowledge (The Content We Teach)
Substantive knowledge represents the specific linguistic content children learn—such as greetings, numbers, colours, family, food, school, hobbies, weather, directions and cultural traditions. This knowledge is presented as clear learning outcomes that detail what pupils should know and remember. Content is chosen to reflect our community, celebrate global diversity and ensure that all children see themselves as capable language learners.
4. Substantive Concepts
Substantive concepts are recurring ideas that appear across the Spanish curriculum, such as gender, agreement, tense, sentence structure, politeness, identity and culture. These concepts are explored in different contexts across year groups, helping children build familiarity, confidence and deeper linguistic understanding.
Repetition and Retrieval
Our Spanish curriculum is built on high levels of repetition to ensure that children remember more and can do more as they progress through school. Procedural and disciplinary knowledge are revisited in every year group, allowing pupils to apply skills with increasing independence. Substantive concepts reappear across units, enabling children to make connections and strengthen long‑term understanding. Retrieval practice is embedded within lessons and across terms, ensuring that key vocabulary, grammar and phonics are revisited, secured and stored in long‑term memory.
Assessment
Assessment in Spanish focuses on pupils’ ability to apply linguistic knowledge, communication skills and cultural understanding. We assess pupils through:
- Speaking and listening tasks
- Reading and writing activities
- Vocabulary and grammar application
- End‑of‑unit communication tasks
These assessments provide insight into how well children understand Spanish, how confidently they can communicate and how effectively they can think and behave like language learners.