Subject leader - Mrs A.Ricci

Subject Champions - Nicole B (yr3), Isaac J (yr4), Teddy C (yr5), Ben G (yr6) 

Intent 

Developing curiosity and excitement about learning another language is key to learning French at Kempshott Junior School. We aim to enable the children to develop a positive attitude and respect towards languages and cultures different from their own.

As children progress through the school we provide opportunities for them to develop their understanding and confidence of using French in a range of situations.

This is developed through the use of games, songs and written work within most lessons. Children are given frequent opportunities within each lesson to practice and embed new vocabulary through speaking and listening activities.

Our purpose in teaching French is not only for the children to enjoy, engage and enrich their language learning but also for the children to recognise its benefit and importance to their further education and experience of the wider world.

The French curriculum aims to instil a love of language learning and an awareness of other cultures. We want pupils to develop the confidence to communicate in French for practical purposes, using both written and spoken French. This French curriculum supports pupils to meet the national curriculum end of Key stage 2 attainment targets (there are no Key stage 1 attainment targets for Languages).

Through our curriculum, we aim to give pupils a foundation for language learning that encourages and enables them to apply their skills to learning further languages, developing a strong understanding of the English language, facilitating future study and opening opportunities to study and work in other countries in the future.

Implementation 

The Kempshott French curriculum is designed with six strands that run throughout and the units cover each of the National curriculum attainment targets as well as each of the strands.

These are:

• Speaking and pronunciation

• Listening

• Reading and writing

• Grammar

• Intercultural understanding

• Language detective skills

Through Kempshott Primary’s French curriculum, pupils are given opportunities to communicate for practical purposes around familiar subjects and routines. The curriculum provides balanced opportunities for communication in both spoken and written French, although in Year 3 the focus is on developing oral skills, before incorporating written French in Year 4 and beyond.

The Kempshott Primary curriculum is a spiral curriculum, with key skills and vocabulary revisited repeatedly with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revise and build on their previous learning. Cross-curricular links are included throughout our French units, allowing children to make connections and apply their language skills to other areas of their learning.

Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including role-play, singing, language games and language detective work. Our curriculum focuses on developing what we term ‘language detective skills’ and developing an understanding of French grammar, rather than on committing to memory vast amounts of French vocabulary. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed and enjoyed by all.

Every class has a 40 minute French lesson planned in on a given day each week. In order to help pupils, retain their French learning, we aim to incorporate French into the classroom environment in addition to the allocated French lesson. This can be done by calling the class register in French or giving simple classroom instructions in French. Within the French curriculum, there are regular references and learning opportunities planned into each unit of work to allow the pupils to learn about the culture of France and French-speaking countries.

Each unit of lessons includes videos to develop subject knowledge and support the full French curriculum to ensure lessons are delivered of a high standard that ensure pupil progression. Together with a Key vocabulary and pronunciation presentation with sound files to demonstrate the correct pronunciation and other presentations included in the lessons which also include sound files to support the children's learning. Final assessments will be used to identify the children’s understanding of a topic and can be submitted in a variety of means that best capture the children’s knowledge.

Impact 

The impact of Kempshott’s French curriculum will be evident through evidence gathered in their books and pupil voice; through discussion and feedback where children will talk enthusiastically about their language learning skills and their ability to communicate in French.

Pupils will be have acquired some intercultural understanding of the culture, festivals, history and geography of the French-speaking world.

As children progress throughout the school, they develop a range of language-learning skills to enable them to study French, or any other language, with confidence.

The expected impact of following the French curriculum is that children will be able to engage in purposeful dialogue in practical situations (for example, ordering in a cafe, following directions) and expressing an opinion.

Children will make increasingly accurate attempts to read unfamiliar words, phrases, and short texts using their knowledge of French phonemes. They will speak and read aloud in French with confidence and accuracy in pronunciation, in addition to, demonstrating understanding of spoken language by listening and responding appropriately by engaging in short conversations in French.

Other more generic language skills will include, using a bilingual dictionary to support their language learning. To be able to identify word classes in a sentence and apply grammatical rules they have learnt. Pupils will have developed an awareness of cognates and near-cognates and be able to use them to tackle unfamiliar words in French, English, and other languages.

                              

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