French at White Court
Intent:
Our chosen language at White Court School is French. Our aim is to provide children in Early Years, Foundation Stage and Year 1 with opportunities to explore the French language, and introduce more formal learning in Year 2 and Key Stage 2. Children will be provided with opportunities to communicate for a purpose through both spoken and written language. Each year group will cover a set of topics (presented as a progressive Learning Journey from Year 2 through to Year 6) which build on knowledge from previous years. The units are derived from the Language Angels scheme of work and adapted to the best fit for our pupils. Children will be challenged and supported as appropriate to their age and ability so that all pupils make good progress. French vocabulary and key phrases will be on display in classrooms to expose the children to the language in their day-to-day routine. MFL teaching will lay the foundations to learn further languages (at KS3 and beyond) and enable them to travel to, study and work in other countries.
Implementation:
We are lucky enough to have two specialist teachers delivering all of the French lessons across our school, one of whom is a native French speaker. Both form part of our curriculum team, sharing their skills, subject knowledge and expertise. Because we want the learning of French to spread beyond the lessons themselves, we are providing access to resources on the Language Angels website, which supports less confident members of staff to carry out short activities. A clear progression document has been developed through liaising with staff to ensure leaders have a good understanding of the National Curriculum and what is being taught across the school. This can also be seen through our Learning Journey. This will continue to be monitored through staff and pupil feedback and lesson drop-ins, and adapted to ensure effective coverage and a clear reflection of the learning that is taking place. Progression of learning can be seen in topic books and on the French displays. Children’s work will be marked at the end of each lesson, and live verbal feedback given. Target Tracker will be completed termly and the data analysed to identify focus children for the following term, inform future planning and close any learning gaps.
Impact:
Through strategic and focused planning, our children will have the opportunity to acquire and retain knowledge, whilst building on existing skills. Children will leave White Court with the confidence to engage in simple conversations and will have an awareness of the language needed in a variety of situations. By offering a multi-sensory approach to learning French, all children at White Court school will leave with a better intercultural understanding in preparation for the next stage of their education and adult lives. As subject leaders, we will be closely measuring this impact through staff and pupil views, children's work and the enjoyment of learning French across the school.
Year Group | Autumn | Spring | Summer |
FS | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Year 1 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Year 2 | Greetings Rhymes and songs | Colours and numbers In the Jungle | Transport Under the Sea |
Year 3 | I Learn French Animals | Food and drinks(including opinion) | In the Classroom |
Year 4 | This is me! Family members | What is the date? Olympic games | The Romans Weather |
Year 5 | This is me Do you have a pet? | Where I live My home | Revision |
Year 6 | Me in the world | Healthy living | At the cafe |
Language Ambassadors
We are excited to announce that we are going to be offering the opportunity for our Key Stage 2 pupils to put themselves forward as Language Ambassadors. Two children will be selected from each class as pupil representatives and will work alongside our French teachers, sharing their passion for the subject and helping to promote French across the school. Please see the role description and application form below which we will send home to any children who express an interest.
Some of you may already be aware of a free languages website we are using called Duolingo. The site offers pupils the opportunity to practise their French skills in a fun and motivating way, and rewards them for their efforts with certificates and even prizes. It encourages them to learn at home as well as in school. We are rolling out the introduction of Duolingo across Key Stage 2, beginning with Year 4. Once your child has received their introduction, they will bring home their login details. We are already so impressed with the fantastic start the children have made and can’t wait to see how much they learn!
Language Angels
