Why is learning a language important?
At Spaldwick Primary, we believe that learning a foreign language is a vital skill for our children to develop. Not only does it open up new cultural perspectives and foster greater global understanding, but it also helps to improve cognitive abilities, problem-solving skills, and overall academic performance.
Our vision is to nurture curious, confident, and well-rounded individuals who are equipped to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world. By teaching French, we aim to:
- Broaden Horizons: Expose our children to the rich diversity of languages and cultures beyond our local community, sparking their curiosity and expanding their worldviews.
- Develop Life Skills: Improve our children’s communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills, which are essential for success in the 21st-century workplace.
- Promote Inclusion: Foster a sense of global citizenship and appreciation for linguistic and cultural differences, aligning with our core values of respect and inclusivity.
When is French taught?
French is taught discretely in KS2. Children have a weekly 30-40 minute lesson.
How is French Taught?
At Spaldwick we use the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious foreign languages curriculum that will inspire and excite our children using a wide variety of topics and themes.
The curriculum includes high quality interactive resources to ensure children build on previous knowledge gradually as their foreign language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge.
In line with the NC PoS, our children learn to:
- Listen and show understanding by joining in and responding
- Link the sound, spelling and meaning of words
- Read aloud with accurate pronunciation
- Read and show understanding of phrases and simple texts
- Speak in sentences
- Describe people, places, things in speech and writing
- Ask and answer questions
- Express opinions
- Write phrases from memory
- Adapt phrases to create new sentences
- Use a dictionary
How do we assess and monitor French?
Class teachers update an assessment grid after each term. This is used by class teachers to plan next steps. The MFL leader monitors this to identify areas of strengths and where development is required through school. The MFL leader then plans appropriate next steps, including CPD for staff, and uses the data to create an action plan where necessary.