French at All Souls' CE
French Curriculum Rationale
At All Souls’ CE Primary, we are all linguists! We want our pupils to appreciate languages. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be a translator, interpreter, French teacher or work for in the travel industry! We want them to embody our Christian core values. We all embrace the school motto of: “we are a place to grow’ – this is both spiritually and academically. The art and design curriculum has been carefully designed so that our pupils develop their artistic knowledge. We want all our pupils to remember their French learning in our school, to cherish these experiences and embrace the opportunities they are presented with.
Curriculum Intent
The French curriculum promotes curiosity and a love and thirst for learning. It is ambitious and empowers our pupils to become independent and resilient.
We want to equip pupils with ambition beyond the minimum statutory requirements of the French National Curriculum and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life. The curriculum is meticulously planned from Key Stage one with the intention to address social disadvantage and ensure that all pupils - including those with SEND – have an opportunity to engage with a challenging curriculum and achieve success. Any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are quickly identified and addressed to ensure that pupils are supported to meet the ambitious intended end points of the curriculum in French. We have designed the curriculum as a school and therefore the curriculum is unique to our school and meets the needs of our pupils and our context.
The French curriculum is focused upon the development of phonics, vocabulary and grammar of the French language. Pupils focus upon how phonics, vocabulary and grammar combine so that they can understand and produce more complex language outcomes. Listening, speaking, reading and writing provides a coherent vehicle to support new structures introduced into the curriculum ensuring that all aspects of the language develop alongside the growth of vocabulary. French is progressively sequenced to ensure that pupils encounter an increasingly demanding curriculum which broadens and develops pupils’ linguistic knowledge and application. Through the employment of a native speaker from France - the pupils can gain first had experience of birth language and appreciate the culture of the country whose language we study.
The French language is used as part of the everyday life of the school for example – part of the school assemblies are carried out in French and staff use English and French interchangeably though registration as and when opportunities arise.
We want our pupils to use the vibrancy of our great town and wider city to learn from other cultures, respect diversity, co-operate with one another and appreciate what they have. We achieve this by providing a strong local contextual links where possible. This includes having French themed days where year groups have an international market place and share their language expertise in a meaningful context.
British Values and our core values placed at the heart of everything we do. This often feeds into the French curriculum. Cultural capital development is addressed through online exploration, artist visits to school and first-hand experiences. We enrich pupils’ time in our school with memorable, unforgettable experiences and provide opportunities to engender an appreciation of human creativity and achievement.
Curriculum Implementation
We effectively develop and invest in our teaching staff to ensure that they are fully equipped with expert subject knowledge in order to support the delivery of the exceptional French curriculum. Teaching is highly effective for all pupils. Teachers present the curriculum content clearly through composites and component parts supported by the scheme Language Angels which progressively breaks the unit knowledge, concepts and skills down for each lesson in each year group.
The curriculum is delivered through a subject specific approach which supports pupils to develop the key concepts and knowledge of the French curriculum. Each lesson within a unit of work is carefully crafted and builds upon what has been previously taught from one year to the next.
Frequent audits of the French curriculum take place. Following the findings from these audits, the French curriculum is adapted to build upon the learning opportunities and assessment end points for each year group and ensures progression and repetition in terms of embedding key learning, knowledge and skills.
French subject specific characteristics, which we expect the pupils to demonstrate, have been developed and shared with all stakeholders. These characteristics underpin all work in French and form a focal point for display areas and provide a common subject specific vocabulary for staff and pupils. These characteristics are:
- listen attentively to spoken language in French and show understanding by joining in and responding
- explore the patterns and phonics of the French language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
- engage in conversations in French; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
- speak in sentences, using familiar French vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
- develop accurate pronunciation and intonation in French so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
- present ideas and information orally in French to a range of audiences
- read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing in French
- appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the French language
- broaden their vocabulary of French and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
- write phrases from memory in French , and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
- understand basic grammar appropriate to the French language being studied
The teaching of the French curriculum is planned and delivered to support pupils to transfer key knowledge into their long-term memory and therefore improve the progress they make. Essential vocabulary is identified within each lesson and unit of work to ensure that our pupils can discuss and evaluate the French content effectively.
Whilst delivering the curriculum, teachers are constantly checking to ensure that pupils are learning the necessary knowledge and identifying and addressing misunderstandings. Assessment is used as a tool to support pupil learning.
The French curriculum is research evidence informed in relation to the content, delivery and process of learning.
Curriculum Impact
We use both formative and summative assessment information in French. Assessment informs learning to ensure that all pupils including disadvantage and those with SEND achieve highly and acquire the knowledge and cultural capital they need to succeed in life. Staff use assessment information to inform their short-term planning and address misconceptions. This helps us provide the best possible support for all of our pupils. The end points for each phase have been carefully mapped out and further broken down. This means that the essential knowledge, skills and concepts in French are progressive and build year on year.
Our well-constructed curriculum in French leads to pupil’s successful learning. This is evidenced in the outcomes within workbooks and practical work produced. Pupils are well prepared for the next steps and stages of their learning due to the progressive and well sequenced curriculum. As a result, pupils make excellent progress they know more and remember more as they move through the French curriculum at All Souls’ CE Primary.
At All Souls' CE Primary School, we are
LINGUISTS!
Key Documentation
Languages programmes of study:
Key Stage 2
Purpose of study
Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils 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, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.
Aims
The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
- understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
- speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
- can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
- discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
Attainment targets
By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.
Schools are not required by law to teach the example content in [square brackets]. Languages – key stage 2
Subject content
Key stage 2: Foreign language
Teaching may be of any modern or ancient foreign language and should focus on enabling pupils to make substantial progress in one language. The teaching should provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and should lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. It should enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.
The focus of study in modern languages will be on practical communication. If an ancient language is chosen the focus will be to provide a linguistic foundation for reading comprehension and an appreciation of classical civilisation. Pupils studying ancient languages may take part in simple oral exchanges, while discussion of what they read will be conducted in English. A linguistic foundation in ancient languages may support the study of modern languages at key stage 3.
Pupils should be taught 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 clearly
- describe people, places, things and actions orally* and in writing
Languages – key stage 2
- 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.
The starred (*) content above will not be applicable to ancient languages.