“Our curriculum promotes social mobility;

we give our children the roots to grow and the wings to fly.”

Do your little bit of good where you are. It's those bits of good put together that overwhelm the world - Desmond Tutu

French at St George’s

Intent 

At St George’s we aim to offer a high-quality Modern Foreign Languages education in line with the National Curriculum. Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. All children in KS2 will access languages education which should foster children's curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. By the end of year 6, children will be able to understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of sources; speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity; write at varying length for different purposes and discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing. Throughout KS2 we encourage children to develop an interest in learning other languages that is both enjoyable and stimulating and promote confidence and creativity. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.

Implementation 

At St George’s, our bespoke Modern Foreign Languages curriculum, while covering the National Curriculum, aims to excite the children and bring French culture and traditions alive. Conversational work, singing activities and games form the core of all lessons where children develop their understanding of key French vocabulary and phrases. Through regularly taught lessons, our MFL curriculum is designed to develop children’s skills in languages which they progressively acquire and apply using a growing bank of vocabulary organised around topics. As confidence and skill grows, children record their work through pictures, captions and sentences. Lessons across the Key Stage 2 support the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. 

Although learning a modern foreign language is only mandatory in KS2, children are introduced to a new language in KS1.  We encourage them to understand and respect that there are people and places in the world around them that are different to where they live and play. They begin to understand that people speak a different language to their own.  As well as introducing basic greetings, manners and colours, the children also have experience of joining in whole school experiences such as Cultural days, where children have the opportunity to experience other cultures including the language.  

Children have weekly lessons in French throughout Key Stage 2, using the Language Angels based programme of study in addition to other resources.  Areas covered include: numbers including time, colours, all about me, the weather, my family,  pets and  animals, school life, my home and life in France.  To further enhance their learning in French, a specialist from a local senior school delivers lessons for a term to two KS2 classes, allowing the children to progress and apply skills they have previously learned and to immerse themselves in a different language and culture. 

Impact 

It is intended that when children leave St George’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 Sencondary School.  Natural links to other areas of curriculum, such as geography, history and RE will also enhance the learning experience.    

Assessment of French is conducted by class teachers; following the end of unit assessments on Language Angels, which is in-line with the National Curriculum. This enables teachers to assess the progress of children in their language learning as they move through Key Stage 2. All children are supported and challenged as appropriate.  This data is analysed on a termly basis, so any identified gaps can be addressed and informs planning for future lessons.

Pupil Voice is also used to further develop the MFL curriculum, through questioning of pupils' views and attitudes to learning a language and experiences of other cultures on cultural days.