Intent: 

The 2014 National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages aims to ensure that all children:
• Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.
• Are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and that they are 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.
 

At Well Green Primary School, these skills are embedded within French lessons and developed consistently throughout Key Stage 1 and 2. We aim for French lessons to be enjoyable in order that confidence is built in the four areas of speaking, listening, reading and writing. We aim to provide practical language skills that children can use throughout their lives. We also aim to foster a curiosity about other countries and cultures, linked to the language work itself.

Implementation:

Children are introduced to French from Year 1, which enables the children to develop early language acquisition skills that facilitate their understanding of the patterns of language and how these differ from, or are similar to, English. Children have a weekly French lesson throughout Key Stage one and two.

Lessons across the Key Stages support the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing:
• Children are taught to listen attentively to spoken language and respond, joining in with songs, rhymes and games.
• Links have been made with a local Secondary School and children have the opportunity to visit for language-related events.
• Curriculum content is delivered by teachers
• Children often learn French songs for our various school performances.
• We follow the Sunderland scheme of work for French.

Impact:

Our MFL curriculum ensures that children develop their knowledge and confidence as they progress through the school. Our emphasis on encouraging a Growth Mindset in all children enables them to ‘have a go’ when speaking French, without fear of embarrassment. Children have a positive opinion of French, due to the fun and active nature of the lessons that we provide. Children leave Well Green fully prepared for their language studies at secondary school.