Intent

The learning of a language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils.

● it helps children to develop communication skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing, with the aim of making good progress in one language.

● lay the foundations for future language learning

● Learning another language will give children a new and broader perspective on the world, encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others, which feeds into our focus on global learning.

Implementation

Children are encouraged to be active learners, with a range of approaches which include paired talk, games and quizzes. Communication is key to language learning and an inclusive language classroom is essential to creating an atmosphere where children take risks and learn from their mistakes. They learn about the world through the chosen language, studying the culture and various traditions, as well as learning about other French-speaking countries.

Curriculum Pathways: Our KS2 children have a weekly French lesson of 30–40 minutes. We use a comprehensive scheme of work created by Rachel Hawkes and Dr Marie-Odile Guillou (based on recent research for the teaching of languages – 2021). We teach three core strands of essential knowledge: 1. Phonics – the key components of the sound-writing relationship 2. Vocabulary – a set of the most frequently used words 3. Grammar – the essential building blocks required to create simple sentences independently (including gender of nouns, singular and plural forms, adjectives (place and agreement), and the conjugation of key verbs)

The scheme works in a 2-year rolling programme. Phonics and grammar repeat in each phase to support retention, whilst vocabulary varies. Cycle A : Jaune et Vert (Year 3/4) Cycle B : Rouge et Bleu (Year 5/6) A variety of the following techniques are used to encourage children to have an active engagement with the learning of French:

• Games – to develop vocabulary through repetition, reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

• Role-play – these should relate to the situations children may find themselves in the future.

• Action songs and rhymes – to develop phonetic skills, memory skills and to further vocabulary.

• Reading and writing quality materials.

Progress: Informal assessment of progress will be made during lessons through questioning and oral feedback, as well as by monitoring by the subject leader, during learning walks and discussion with pupils.

Impact

Assessment: Our French curriculum will ensure all pupils develop key language learning skills, as set out by the national curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures. These are as follows:

● 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 lengths, 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.

Outcomes: Children will see themselves as confident language learners and will have the skills for further language learning in the future. The skills, knowledge and understanding gained through learning a language contribute to the development of children's oracy and literacy and to their understanding of their own culture and those of others. Through the high-quality first teaching of French, we will see the impact of the subject in the following ways:

• Children will become aware that a language has a structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another.