French

"A different language is a different vision of life."
Federico Fellini

Intent

Learning another language allows all children to build self-confidence as well as developing their communication skills. Acquiring skills in French provides children with the building blocks that are applicable to any languages they may go on to learn in the future as well as developing their understanding of languages they already speak.

Our intention is to develop all children's ability to learn a new language by providing challenge for all and support where needed. Pupils need to have the awareness of different languages and cultures and the curiosity to find out more in a respectful manner. Through our active, engaging and purposeful curriculum, we inspire and excite our children and foster a thirst for this knowledge. We believe that these opportunities will ensure that our children are confident, life-long learners who will explore the language of French and be positively curious about other languages. 

French teaching is good when children:

• develop an interest in learning other languages.
• are introduced to another language in a way that is enjoyable and stimulating.
• develop confidence to explore their creative skills through the exploration of another language.
• have their curiosity about language stimulated.
• develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries.
• develop listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in French.
• can lay the foundations for future language learning.

Our French scheme of Work is a carefully planned sequence of lessons which ensures a progressive coverage of the skills required by the national curriculum. Themes across the year groups build on prior knowledge from previous years which provides an introduction to the culture of French-speaking countries and communities.  In Lower KS2, children acquire basic skills and understanding of French with a strong emphasis placed on developing their 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.

Through our lessons, we intend to inspire pupils to develop a love of languages and to expand their horizons to other countries, cultures and people. We aim to help children grow into curious, confident and reflective language learners and to provide them with a foundation that will equip them for further language studies.

The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

1. understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
2. 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
3. can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
4. discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Implementation 

Children have weekly lessons in French throughout Key Stage 2 this allows for a development of skills and knowledge to be taught and revisited year on year in a sequential manner utilising and building upon prior learning. The sessions offer insights into the culture of French-speaking countries and communities. The introduction and revision of key vocabulary and grammatical structures is built into each lesson. 

In line with the National Curriculum for MFL, pupils are taught to:

1. listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
2. explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
3. engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
4. speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
5. develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
6. present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
7. read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
8. appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
9. broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
10. write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly 11. describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
11. 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.

Impact 

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Observing children speaking and listening in another language.
• Marking of written work
• Images and videos of children completing speaking and listening activities
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum to parents
• Learning walks
• Subject tracking.

​​​​​​​The MFL subject leader will continually monitor the impact MFL teaching is having on the children’s learning, through work scrutinies, to ensure the progress of knowledge and skills is being taught.  They will also ensure the knowledge taught is retained by the children and continually revisited and that the learners are able to apply the skills they have been taught to a variety of different settings, showing independence with their learning. Impact will also be measured through key questioning skills built into lessons, child-led assessment such as success criteria grids and summative assessments aimed at targeting next steps in learning.

Progression in French

In the early years, children will have had exposure to a range of new vocabulary linked to all areas of their learning and will have had opportunities to develop their communication and language skills through all they do. These experiences are likely to have included:

• listening in a range of situations and responding with relevant comments, questions or actions following instructions
• expressing themselves effectively
• use past, present and future forms accurately when speaking
• develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.

Useful Links: