FRENCH AT ALL SAINTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

Subject Teacher Madame Delyfer

BIENVENUE À TOUS!

Intent

• At All Saints we believe that learning a Modern Foreign Language prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are often carried out in languages other than English. The rise of international commerce means that pupils need to be equipped with the skills needed by the international workplace.
• The specificity of All Saints teaching of a foreign language is the inclusion of French lessons within the required KS2 initiative.  Yet, the choice of which language to teach is secondary to the lifelong language learning skills that the pupils will be encouraged to develop. Skills that they will be able access in the future will help them to learn new languages or to improve their competence in an existing language.
• At All Saints, we want children to become familiarised with most lexical themes.  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.
• Along with the topical curriculum learning, digital resources (Early Start online) such as talking dictionaries, flashcards, entertaining videos, karaoke and more…are used daily to further and purposefully engage our pupils.
• Additionally, an important part of our linguistic curriculum aims at developing the pupils’ awareness of cultural differences in other countries.
• By fostering an interest in another language, we wish to increase the children’s capability as the use of MFL promotes initiative, confidence and independent learning and encourages diversity within society.

Implementation

• Although French is a cross-curricular subject, children at All Saints C of E are taught specific skills in dedicated MFL lessons with a qualified French specialist teacher.  French is taught throughout a series of topics across KS2 year groups following the national curriculum guidance to ensure a broad and balanced coverage of all objectives. Lessons are sequenced so that prior learning is considered and opportunities for revision of language and grammar are built in.

• Every French lesson is delivered through a strong use of VAK approaches to ensure all learning needs and expectations are catered for.  The emphasis is on using the target language throughout the lesson referring to English only when and as needed. The use of actions and singing is a key feature in all French lessons, allowing for better understanding and faster memorisation. 
• The long-term plan and focus of French at All Saints is on practical communication and each lesson provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language, laying the foundation for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3.
• Primarily focused on familiar and routine matters, each lesson eventually progresses to more specific learning objectives enabling children to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, using an increasing knowledge of phonology, grammatical and lexical structures.
• Every French lesson taught within school will contain a challenge for the children to complete to extend and expand upon their main learning. This challenge will be clearly visible for the pupils, thus providing more opportunities for extended writing or higher skilled tasks.
• In order to stretch key learning areas, KS2 children at All Saints have the opportunity to attend an after school French Club from term 3 onwards.  The focus of the sessions will be tailored to suit the needs of the new phonics approach: phonetics through games, rhymes and songs.

Impact

• At All Saints C of E Primary School, children develop fundamental skills and apply them to a variety of communicative situations as they move from Year 3 to Year 6.
• Children widen their perspectives: learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. 
• Children engage in various activities stretching their skills and their understanding of different cultures. 
• Children enjoy learning French in a fun and motivational way, and develop a love of different cultures, languages and a wider opening to the world around them.