Sample of Ofsted Questions and Answers – MFL Subject Leader

This resource contains full and comprehensive answers to all the following questions: Curriculum Design (Intent, Implementation, Impact)

1. How did you design your curriculum? 2. How have you made sure you are covering the National Curriculum? 3. What is your intent for MFL? 4. How does MFL contribute to children’s cultural capital? 5. Could you outline the breadth in the MFL curriculum? 6. What is your approach to spacing in your curriculum? 7. What is your model of progression in MFL? 8. How do you monitor that your curriculum maps are being implemented effectively? 9. How clearly defined are your end points on your curriculum maps? 10. How do you assess learning in MFL? 11. Could you tell me what I would see in lessons? 12. Could you tell me what I would see in the children’s books? 13. What does greater depth in MFL look like? 14. How good is your curriculum for all pupils? 15. Do you have any underachieving groups? 16. What is attainment on entry? 17. How does MFL contribute to the development of literacy and numeracy skills? 18. How does MFL support the development of SMSC?

Impact of MFL Subject Leader

1. How long have you been subject leader for MFL? 2. What are the expectations of subject leaders in your school? 3. What are your main roles and responsibilities as subject leader for MFL? 4. Can you outline your leadership strengths and areas to develop as MFL subject leader? 5. Do you receive any non-contact time and if yes, how is it used? 6. Can you explain the 2-3 key priorities you are working on this year as MFL subject leader? 7. Is MFL well resourced? 8. Can you give me an example of a leadership action you took and the impact it has had on standards in MFL? 9. What CPD have teachers had to help them deliver the MFL curriculum effectively? 10. What do governors know about MFL? 11. Do you have a policy for MFL?

This is a sample of the questions and answers resource. Some answers have been removed for copyright purposes.

Ofsted Questions and Answers – MFL (MFL)

Deep Dive Element 1 – Curriculum Design: Intent, Implementation and Impact

Question Possible Answer and Notes Examples

1. How did you design your curriculum?

Possible sub-questions:

a) What are the basic principles and rationale behind your decisions?

b) What research did you use

when designing your curriculum?

c) How to you share the basic principles of the curriculum with all stakeholders?

For a more comprehensive include the following information.

• Curriculum audit - As a school we undertook a review and audit of the curriculum we offer to the children. This involved looking at the best research and information available on how children learn most effectively and specifically in the subject of MFL.

• Definition of learning - As a school we have determined that our

definition of learning is a change to the long-term memory. This means that the way we implement our curriculum maps involves repetitive teaching of the key concepts in MFL. Each unit has built in practise, retrieval and reinforcement of the key concepts to ensure knowledge sticks in the long-term memory.

• Long term memory - for learning to stick in the long-term memory we

teach linguistic knowledge in meaningful contexts and in a connected way.

• MFL key concepts - I identified key concepts from NC for children to be

procedurally fluent in MFL and these underpin the MFL curriculum map.

MFL pedagogy is based on the development of these key concepts:

The key concepts in MFL we plan a progression for are as follows:

• Listening and responding • Speaking • Reading and responding • Writing

• The basic principles are shared on our policy for MFL which can be found

on our website. I facilitate staff meetings where I share the curriculum maps and discuss the content pedagogy and the pedagogical content knowledge for MFL.

2. How have you made sure you are covering the National Curriculum?

3. What is your intent for MFL?

Possible sub-questions:

a) How do you share this with governors, staff, parents and children?

b) How does your intent for MFL link to your whole school intent?

4. How does MFL contribute to children’s cultural capital?

5. Could you outline the

breadth in the MFL curriculum?

Possible sub-questions:

a) Could you explain some examples of where you have provided breadth in the MFL curriculum and the impact it has had on learning?

b) Is your breadth at the expense of deep learning?

c) How do you record breadth in the MFL curriculum?

d) Do you provide children with any opportunities for MFL outside of school?

6. What is your approach

to spacing in your curriculum?

Possible sub-questions:

a) What research backs up your rationale?

7. What is your model of

progression in MFL? Possible sub-questions:

a) How did you share and support staff to understand the progression in MFL?

b) How have you ensured that it is progressive?

c) How have you planned for knowledge, skills and vocabulary progression in MFL?

d) How did you determine the content of your curriculum maps?

e) How did you decide on the key concepts/knowledge for MFL?

f) How do topics contribute towards development and progress in MFL?

8. How do you monitor

that your curriculum maps are being implemented effectively?

Possible sub-questions:

a) What evidence do you have that your planned progression is actually taking place?

9. How clearly defined

are your end points on your curriculum maps?

10. How do you assess

learning in MFL?

Possible sub-questions: a) How high are standards in

MFL? b) Can you show me an example

of MFL assessment and how you used it to inform your practice?

c) How do standards this year compare to last year?

d) How do you know your assessment is accurate?

e) Do you carry out any moderation or standardisation across the school?

11. Could you tell me what I would see in lessons?

Possible sub-questions:

a) Where would I see the strongest and weakest practice in MFL?

b) Is the MFL curriculum having

an impact on pupils’ learning, standards and achievement?

For a comprehensive answer include the following information.

• Content and subject pedagogical knowledge – you would see highly skilled teachers with a good understanding of MFL pedagogy, teaching engaging lessons.

• Meaningful contexts - children learning by being challenged in a series of

well-designed language tasks linked to meaningful contexts.

• Teachers supporting – by guiding children to raise questions and design enquiries to find the answers to historical questions or hypothesis.

You would see high quality supportive teachers enabling children be proficient in MFL by:

• Teachers providing contexts that are relevant to the children and identify a tangible objective.

• The language classes being a hub for information exchange where using language learning skills is the essence of good

• Developing the fours skills of understanding and responding, speaking with increasing fluence, writing at varying length and developing an appreciation of the language studied.

• Developing an understanding that MFL share the same grammatical and lexical features, how language works and how to manipulate it.

• Awakening pupils’ curiosity about the world and to appreciate the richness and diversity of other MFL and cultures.

• Talk is the initial mode of communication and classrooms give children

the platform where they can interact in a meaningful way when they are applying what has been learnt in speech and language.

• Talk and communication are dominant and have taken over from grammar and vocabulary drills.

• Communicative language teaching method – use of target language as a means of interacting in the classroom with a set of routines which are meaningful to the children.

• The content of lessons will be culturally relevant to capture the pupils’ interests.

Teachers supporting children to:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language

• Speak with increasing confidence and fluency

• Write at varying length

• Discover and develop an appreciation of range of writing studied

12. What does greater depth in MFL look like?

13. How good is your

curriculum for all pupils? Possible sub-questions:

a) Is it appropriate and how does it meet the needs for SEND, PPG, EAL?

b) What are the strengths and weaknesses in your curriculum and how do you know?

c) What do the children excel at and what elements of MFL do they struggle with?

d) What are the children’s main barriers to learning?

e) What evidence do you have to back up what you are saying?

14. Do you have any

underachieving groups? Possible sub-questions:

a) How are SEND, PPG, EAL pupils’ performing.

b) How do you ensure consistency in terms of scientific understanding for every group of pupils?

15. How does MFL contribute

to the development of literacy and numeracy skills?

16. How does MFL support

the development of SMSC?

For a comprehensive answer include the following information. Spiritual development in MFL

• Children are taught to accept and embrace other MFL and cultures through the teaching of MFL. In relation to this, children are educated on the religious beliefs of the people in countries of the language they are learning.

Moral development in MFL

• Children are encouraged to show empathy and understanding to others and learn about right from wrong and the choices historical figures from Hispanic culture have made. Stereotypes and intolerance are challenged through the teaching of language and culture. The MFL schemes of learning identify and explore many moral issues in a global society context, covering famous people (within a high moral context) to issues relating to the environment, equality of education within a global context (comparing the UK to less wealthy countries, such as Bolivia), work opportunities, social mobility, travel as a means of exploring the world and the consequences of this, and media and new technology, including Facebook, texting and the Internet as a means of communication (and discussing the moral outcomes of this).

Social development in MFL

• Children are encouraged to work independently in lessons and proactively use the target language in classwork, whether through pair work, co-operative learning techniques or group work. Children are often differentiated in groups of varied abilities to encourage social interaction with others in the class with whom they may not usually interact. Children are encouraged to experiment with language and learn from their mistake. There is a supportive environment in MFL classes where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, rather than as failures. The children are encouraged to use each other as a learning tool and develop social strategies for dealing with confrontational situations or problems.

Cultural development in MFL

• Cultural development and cultural awareness are fundamental in language learning. At all stages of teaching and learning, cultural development is at the forefront of our success criteria. Exploration of language and culture is key to language learning, whether through lessons or school trips. Children are encouraged to embrace ‘difference’ at all stages of their linguistic development and accept ideas which may be ‘alien’ to them, as culturally significant. Children are encouraged to discuss and challenge stereotypes within a national and international context. Media and new technology are encouraged to explore children’ interest in language and culture in all aspects of their learning.