Languages (French)

Quotes that guide us:

‘You live a new life for every language you speak. If you only know one language, you only live once.’ Czech proverb

‘To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.’ Chinese Proverb

Why is it important to teach Languages? (Intent)

Learning a foreign language is an essential part of being a member of a multi-cultural society. We aim to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to study a foreign language and develop their interest in the culture of other nations. We provide children with a high-quality language education, which fosters their curiosity and deepens their understanding of the world. All children are enabled and supported to express their ideas and thoughts in another language, in order to understand and respond to its speakers, both verbally and in writing. Our teaching of languages provides opportunities for children to communicate for practical purposes and be open to different cultures and new ways of thinking.

It is intended that when children leave our schools, they will have developed a natural curiosity and confidence to explore other countries, cultures and languages, accepting that, in a multi-lingual society, it is a valuable skill to be able to communicate effectively with others.  Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping children to study and work in other countries if they so wish. With an exciting and stimulating languages curriculum, children will be engaged and excited to continue language learning at KS3 and beyond.

Key Concepts:

•        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.

Curriculum Design (Implementation)

Our Languages curriculum ensures that pupils have access to high quality teaching and learning opportunities. Children have weekly French lessons throughout Key Stage 2 and teachers use the Language Angels programme to teach and deliver their French lessons.  In Lower KS2, children acquire basic skills and an understanding of French, with emphasis placed on developing Speaking and Listening skills. These will be embedded and further developed in Upper KS2, alongside Reading and Writing, gradually progressing onto more complex language concepts and greater learner autonomy.

Our Languages curriculum gives children the opportunity to:

• listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
• explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
• engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
• present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
• read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clear
• describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Knowledge Focused

To ensure clear sequences of learning we use Language Angels and the Discovery MAT wide progression document to plan lessons. These give small steps that build towards key end points that link to the National Curriculum. These break down the National Curriculum statements into smaller steps. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.

What we do well as a Trust (Impact)

Our children have extremely positive attitudes towards languages. As well as discrete lessons we celebrate languages through a languages day where children get to experience other cultures, art, music, food and a range of other experiences deepening their understanding of France and their language. Across the MAT we allow children to show off their skills by creating quizzes and games to show us and their peers what they have learnt.