CARE

Prepare Believe

French curriculum statement

Intent

Here at Badsworth C of E Junior and Infant School, it is our intent for everyone to CARE - Prepare - Believe.

As a school we: 

Consider And Respect Everyone, as Jesus taught.

Prepare for a bright future.

Believe we can make a difference.

‘I can do all things through Him who strengthens me’

Philippians 4:13

In order for all children to live out our vision, we believe in delivering an engaging, broad and balanced curriculum. Modern foreign languages teaching  is an important part of the children’s learning journey and a key component in holistically developing each learner. Our modern foreign languages curriculum provides children with the opportunity to develop an interest in and a thirst for learning about languages, whilst also giving them a window into another culture. 

At Badsworth C of E Junior and Infant School we see learning a foreign language as a necessary part of preparing children as being a member of a multi-cultural society, allowing them to develop a consideration and respect for other cultures. The curriculum also encourages curiosity and deepens children’s understanding of geography and diversity. We aim to embed the essential skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing through weekly lessons taught by Key Stage 2 teachers- following the Wakefield programme of study, supplemented by other resources. The teaching should enable children to pronounce words accurately using their phonics, understand and respond in another language, communicate for practical purposes and give children the all-round confidence to speak another language aloud in front of peers. At the end of Key Stage 2, children will have been given the opportunity to apply the language and skills they have learned in an immersive experience. Our aim is to provide the children with the foundation skills and knowledge they require in order to further develop their ability and interest at Key Stage 3 and beyond. We hope that our children leave the school prepared with a natural curiosity and confidence to explore other countries, cultures and languages whilst understanding that it is a valuable skill to be able to communicate effectively with others in another language. 

Implementation

In line with the National Curriculum, children are taught to listen attentively to the spoken language and demonstrate an understanding by joining in and responding.

Key Stage 1 children will be introduced to Modern Foreign Languages informally and incidentally in lessons and around school.

In the lower Key Stage Two classes, an initial emphasis on phonics and pronunciation will be evident thus giving children the confidence to decode and speak aloud in front of peers. Children will begin to broaden their vocabulary of people, places and common objects both orally and in written form. As well as focussing on vocabulary, children in lower Key Stage Two will begin to understand basic grammar appropriate to French. They will be introduced to high frequency verbs as well as being introduced to the feminine and masculine forms. This will enable the children to form simple sentences. As they progress through the key stage, the children will be able to engage in conversations whereby they can ask and answer questions as well as express their own opinions. This will also be done with intonation to develop clarity. Revisited vocabulary, as well as new vocabulary taught in sessions, will be evident in the spoken language they use. Children will also apply this learning through a variety of activities and tasks including decoding stories and understanding and interpreting songs and poems. By exploring the patterns and sounds of language through song and rhyme, the children will be able to link pronunciation, spelling and the meaning of words together.

We are also focusing on French outside the classroom, with opportunities given to share their learning in French and the use of signs around the school to make language learning more meaningful and to give it a purpose.  

Impact

Our MFL curriculum will ensure all pupils develop key language learning skills set out by the national curriculum, as well as a love of languages and learning about other cultures. The children will be able to understand and respond to both spoken and written language as well as having the confidence to speak aloud fluently and spontaneously. They will have a good understanding of the common verbs as well as the masculine and feminine forms which will give them the basic foundations to then develop their language skills further as they progress through their education. Pupils across all year groups should be engaged and enjoying their lessons and feeling that they are progressing well and when they leave school, they will have an understanding as to why MFL is taught as a subject and the value and respect that comes with learning another language.

Pupil voice is also used to further develop the MFL curriculum through ‘Talking to Children’ sessions which allows the pupils from different year groups to share what they have learnt and enjoyed as well as areas which need further development.