Curriculum Statement - French

Intent

At Christ Church, we believe that French should be taught in a way that inspires our pupil to have a love of learning a new language alongside a deeper understanding of the English language. We want pupils to develop the confidence to communicate in French for practical purposes, using both written and spoken French. Through the learning of another language, we also aim to foster our pupil’s curiosity about the world around them and the cultures of other people. Our aim is to broaden pupils’ horizons and encourage them to step beyond familiar cultural boundaries and develop new ways of seeing the world.

The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing will be taught and all necessary grammar will be covered in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. This will enable pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning.

The intent is that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating. Learning a second language will also offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners.

Implementation

We follow the 2014 National Curriculum for Languages.

French is taught weekly in KS2 by a subject specialist and lessons introduce pupil to a new language in a way that is fun and focuses initially on teaching pupil to speak, sing and respond to questions and instructions in French. Teaching focuses on learning through different styles, with pupil engaging in singing songs that develop and reinforce vocabulary, games that encourage fluency and role play where pupil can rehearse and perform conversations expressing opinions and responding to those of others.

We follow a topic-based approach to teaching French which gives the pupil the basic foundation upon which they can build as they move to middle school. As pupil develop their skills, they are encouraged to express their ideas and thoughts in French and to understand and respond to speakers in writing in addition to speech. Pupil’s vocabulary is broadened through regular opportunities for them to be immersed in their target language.

The French curriculum is well-planned with a focus on practical communication and how the structure of the language differs from English, helping pupil to develop their own understanding of their own language whilst developing skills in another.

Impact

Our curriculum encourages pupil to become confident global citizens within the ‘modern world. Our pupils show very positive attitudes towards French and other languages encountered during their time in school. They enjoy engaging in conversation in French and are curious about other languages. Pupils ask and answer questions and express their opinions in French confidently and are adventurous learners, using resources independently to express themselves. They move on at the end of Y4 ready to access the next stage of their learning in languages.