Languages

French

Intent

At St. Albert the Great our intention is that children develop an interest in learning other languages in an enjoyable and stimulating way. Through the learning of another language, they will learn about a different culture which encourages tolerance and understanding of others. We teach the French language through the four areas of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Our intention is that there will be clear progression from Year 3 to Year 6 and that French will become part of the children’s long- term memory.

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

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.
At St Albert the Great Catholic Primary School:

Children have weekly lessons in French throughout Key Stage 2, using the resources and units of work from classroom secrets, in addition to other resources. Children develop the skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening in French.

It is intended that when children leave St Albert’s, they will have 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 in another language. They will be engaged and prepared to continue language learning at Secondary School.

Implementation

We are using Classroom secrets and other resources to deliver the French curriculum. All children in Key Stage 2 are taught French in a discrete lessons. Vocabulary is planned and organised around topics and cross curricular links are made where possible. Classroom secrets allows for clear progression and opportunities to revisit and consolidate vocabulary previously taught. The writing is done in French folders where progression can clearly be seen. Class teachers also take a “little and often” approach so greetings, registers, dinners, instructions and prayers will sometimes be said in French.

Impact

Through high quality language teaching at St. Albert the Great:

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

· Children will develop their language and communication through development of the four key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing.

· Children will enrich their language learning by developing an understanding of the French culture.

· Children will transfer to KS3 effectively and successfully and will be well prepared to continue and develop their language skills.

The MFL subject leader will monitor the impact MFL teaching is having on the children’s learning 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 and summative assessments aimed at targeting next steps in learning.