French

‘There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without meaning’ (1 Corinthians 14:10)

Intent

At Calow Church of England (V.C.) Primary School we believe learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures.

We provide our pupils with high quality language teaching which develops their love of learning about other languages and cultures. We teach French, however we strive to provide children with opportunities to experience a range of other languages and cultures.

We believe that the learning of a language helps children to develop communication skills, including key skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. The children’s knowledge of how language works will be developed and extended. The linguistic skills gained will assist and lay foundations for further language learning. It will provide pupils with the confidence and independence to explore and be able to attempt manipulation of the structure of language.

Aims and objectives

The aims of modern foreign languages in primary school are:

To foster an interest in learning other languages.
To introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun.
To make children aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another.
To help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries.
To develop their speaking and listening skills.
To provide children with the transferable skills to learn foreign languages in the future.

Implementation

We provide a rich languages education for all of our children. Children are taught French in Key Stage 2 on a weekly basis. The curriculum provides a balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching. It enables 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.

We follow the Primary Languages Network Scheme of work. Alongside the planning provided, the network also enriches this through accompanying power points, pod casts (spoken by native speakers) links to authentic literature, songs, games, culture points of reference, links to appropriate websites.

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.

Pupils should be taught 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 clearly
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

Impact

Our Modern Foreign Languages curriculum ensures all children develop key language learning skills set out by the National Curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures.

When children leave Calow Church of England (V.C.) Primary, 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.

Assessment

Currently assessment is informal across the four language skills. A large amount of learning is done through conversation, songs, games and written activities. Continual formative assessment informs pace and planning of lessons.