Intent
Children attending Gainsborough Primary School often have very few experiences of life outside of their local area due to being located in an area of high deprivation meaning that families are not able to visit areas outside of the local area and high mobility rates (23% for 2021-22, nearly ¼ of our whole school cohort were new last year). Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality language education 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. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes and learn new ways of thinking. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping children to study and work in other countries.
Curriculum Implementation
Children have weekly lessons in French from Year 1 to Key Stage 2. Teachers plan their lessons using the Language Angels scheme of work and can supplement this with their own ideas and experience and those of their colleagues. Areas covered include: numbers, colours, animals, food and drink, the classroom and hobbies.
At the end of Key Stage 2, children are given the opportunity to visit Normandy on a four day residential trip to apply the language skills they have learned and immerse themselves in a different language and culture.
It is intended that when children leave Gainsborough Primary, they will have a natural curiosity and confidence to explore other countries, cultures and languages, accepting that, in a multilingual 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.
The French curriculum ensures that by the time the children leave in Year 6, they will be able 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 clear
- 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.
At Gainsborough, we believe that all learners should primarily access the first quality teaching and be immersed in class discussions during French lessons. Therefore, SEND learners access the same learning as all other children but will be given further support, adapted outcomes and a tailored approach to suit each individual’s needs. Strategies used to support our SEND learners include:
- Printouts of work/presentations to scaffold with independent tasks
- Instructions broken down into manageable chunks and more time given to process the information
Children with high levels of need have a broad curriculum offer, linking into National Curriculum themes, but with scaffolded learning which meets their needs, ensuring they are also making good progress from their initial starting points. The sequences of lessons are planned to ensure that French skills and knowledge are embedded and built upon.
Curriculum Impact
Assessment criteria has been developed, in line with national curriculum aims, to enable teachers to assess the progress of children in their language learning as they move through Key Stage 2, ensuring that children are supported and challenged as appropriate.
Working together with Trust schools, children are also provided with a variety of extra curricular activities to promote their engagement in the subject as well as provide them with the knowledge and skills necessary, to continue their studies successfully at Secondary School.
Pupil Voice is also used to further develop the MFL curriculum, through questioning of pupils' views and attitudes to learning a language.
The impact of our French curriculum at Kaizen ensures that children are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready to continue their learning journey in KS3 and for life as an adult in the wider world.