Intent

At Joseph Turner Primary School, our modern foreign languages curriculum is designed to foster the children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We utilise the ‘Language Angels’ scheme of work and resources to ensure that we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils using a wide variety of topics. The themes taught give pupils the opportunity to learn French in a cross curricular way, making links to other areas of the curriculum, whilst building on what the children have previously learnt. 

The programme content is continuously updated and reviewed annually, creating a dynamic programme of study that is clearly outlined in both long-term and short-term planning. This ensures that the foreign language knowledge of our pupils progresses within each academic year and is extended year upon year throughout KS2 and, in so doing, will always be relevant and in line with meeting or exceeding national DfE requirements.

The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing are taught and all necessary grammar is covered in an age-appropriate way across each year group. This enables pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children to improve overall attainment in other subject areas. The intent is that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and curiosity about the French language, finding their lessons enjoyable and stimulating. Learning a second language offers 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 our children will be working towards becoming life-long language learners.

Implementation

Our children progressively develop their skills in French through well-planned, weekly, 45-minute lessons using the Language Angels Scheme of Work. Children will progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes - building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language. Cross-curricular topics allow French to become embedded in children’s learning. Lessons offering appropriate levels of challenge are taught at all times to ensure children learn effectively, continuously building their knowledge of and enthusiasm for the language. Our children learn through active participation in actions, rhymes, stories, song, grammar focus, video clips, sentence structure, dictionary work and may other creative ways to extend, embed and combine language skills. We have a unit planner in place which serves as an overall ‘teaching map’ outlining for all teachers within the school what each class in each year group will be taught and when. Each year group will have an overview of units to be taught during the academic year to ensure substantial progress and learning is achieved. Each teaching unit is divided into six fully planned lessons.

• Each unit and lesson will have clearly defined objectives and aims.
• Each lesson will incorporate interactive whiteboard materials to include ample speaking and listening tasks within a lesson.
• Lessons will incorporate challenge sections and desk-based activities that will be offered will three levels of stretch and differentiation.
• Reading and writing activities will be offered in all units. Some extended reading and writing activities are provided so that native speakers can also be catered for.
• Every unit will include a grammar concept which will increase in complexity as pupils move from Early Language units, through Intermediate units and into Progressive units.
• Extending writing activities are provided to ensure that pupils are recalling previously learnt language and, by reusing it, will be able to recall it and use it with greater ease and accuracy. These tasks will help to link units together and show that pupils are retaining and recalling the language taught with increased fluency and ease.

Units are progressive within themselves as subsequent lessons within a unit build on the language and knowledge taught in previous lessons. As pupils progress though the lessons in a unit, they will build their knowledge and develop the complexity of the language they use. Pupil learning and progression for each language skill (speaking, listening, reading and writing) will be assessed at regular intervals throughout the year. to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.

Pupils will also be able to access French games and activities at home through the Language Angels home leaning website. This will give children the opportunity to further embed the language skills they have acquired in the classroom.

Impact

language-learning journey, as previous language is recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated. Children will discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the French language. Children are aware of their own learning goals and progression as each unit offers a pupil friendly self-assessment tool, so that all children can review their own learning at the end of each unit. 

Bonjour!

At Joseph Turner Primary, we have chosen to teach the children French as our modern foreign language. Weekly lessons occur in Key Stage 2 where the children are taught the key fundamentals of French in an engaging fun way. The children will learn how to speak, read and also write in French. The children are then assessed in line with the school's policy.