INTENT:

Our vision in the Urdu department is that all language learners develop the skills and confidence to consider themselves as ‘World Citizens’ who belong in a multicultural, mutually respectful world. We aim to support students to understand other countries and cultures so that they can be more open and adaptable to new experiences. The department is committed to developing strong, lifelong linguistic skills and to encourage students to become curious and interested in the world.  Ultimately, we want our students to have a love of languages, and aim to achieve this by nurturing a linguistic curiosity and an intrinsic motivation to explore and respect other cultures and people.

The Urdu Department aims to produce confident, capable and articulate linguists who can work independently in their Speaking and Writing with a range of vocabulary, tenses and complex structures. Our students are able to express opinions and offer justifications. Learning is themed around real-world topics and issues which gradually introduces increasingly complex levels of language to stretch and challenge students.

IMPLEMENT:

Curriculum maps are designed to ensure that all four skills (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening) are covered in every unit and opportunities to revisit key skills, in different ways, are built in to students’ learning journeys.  Grammar is the foundation for building language skills. Learning grammar enables students to speak and write more accurately, confidently and fluently.  Consequently, grammar skills are taught explicitly through every unit of work, and regularly revisited; emphasis is on equipping students with the linguistic skills to unpick and decode unfamiliar language.

Lessons are engaging and seen as bricks in the ever growing bridge of language learning. We strongly feel that students need to be involved in tasks they find interesting in an environment where active and successful learning is encouraged. Competitions, technology and quizzes keep motivation levels high in lessons.  The Urdu department has high expectations for all students and the climate for learning encompasses the contributions of all abilities; we trust in the success of each student. A range of strategies, such as group talk, think-pair-share, role plays are employed to create a classroom culture where learning from others is valued.

Learning in the classroom is enhanced through self-study, which are set every week, and consist of vocabulary learning, extended writing tasks (including creative writing), exam practice, and quizzes.

Students need to be resilient language learners.  Within the classroom, we consistently emphasise that it is ok to make mistakes. We believe where students learn is in deciding how they move on from these errors. This open environment allows students to grow in confidence and not feel intimidated in speaking out in front of the class.  Opportunities for reflection are built in at regular intervals, and the curriculum is designed to build students’ independence.

IMPACT:

It is one of our department’s aims to expose students to authentic language use in real and practical situations through the classroom teacher, the use of videos and by inviting guests into the classroom to emphasise the value of language as a communication tool.  Using the target language ensures that students are hearing authentic language each time they are in the MFL classroom and by immersing them in the target language we aim to help them use it more independently and this will lead to increased confidence and wider vocabulary.

The department also boasts of native speakers of Urdu who seek to bring languages alive for the students they teach. A grammar and skills approach at both Key Stages ensures students have the bare bones of language learning which is, in time, fleshed out by their widening vocabulary learned along the way. Students begin a lifelong language journey using support from current textbooks, story books and the online resources. This, in turn, is supplemented by interactive games, practical language activities and Group Talk tasks.

Students at KS3 start their journey of learning Urdu. At KS3 the Urdu department aims to ensure that all students:

• Begin an adventure that ensures progression through deep knowledge of grammar and skills; a bespoke linguistic guide for each student begins to take shape.
• understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
• speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
• can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
• KS3 Students are taught to become determined, independent and curious linguists who:
• identify and use tenses or other structures which convey the present, past, and future as appropriate to the language being studied
• use and manipulate a variety of key grammatical structures and patterns, including voices and moods, as appropriate
• develop and use a wide-ranging and deepening vocabulary that goes beyond their immediate needs and interests, allowing them to give and justify opinions and take part in discussion about wider issues
• Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation.

The KS3 termly assessment schedule is defined by a need to replicate the high expectations at KS4 allowing students to make rapid progression in all skill areas; listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Students at KS4 begin the 2 year AQA in Year 10. They develop their ability and ambition to communicate with native speakers in speech and writing. GCSE Urdu Language learning also broadens students’ horizons and encourages them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries and develop new ways of seeing the world; becoming a compassionate and resilient Global Citizen.

GCSE students will be expected to develop and use their knowledge and understanding of grammar progressively throughout their course; vocab checks and a skill based consolidation homework is set on a weekly basis to ensure students are confident in their language learning journey.  The terminal exam requirements for GCSE are set out in two tiers: foundation and higher and these apply to four exams (equally weighted 25% of the final GCSE grade); Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking