Curriculum Statement
In our school we teach a foreign language to all our KS2 children as part of our normal school curriculum. This is a compulsory requirement from September 2014.
We believe that a Modern Foreign Language prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are often carried out in languages other than English. The rise of international commerce means that pupils need to be equipped with the skills needed by the international workplace. The choice of which language to teach is secondary to the lifelong language learning skills that the pupils will be encouraged to develop. Skills that they will be able access in the future will help them to learn new languages or to improve their competence in an existing language. Increased capability in the use of MFL promotes initiative, confidence and independent learning and encourages diversity within society.
What is our philosophy? Intent
We believe learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We are committed to ensuring that competence in another language enables children to interpret, create and exchange meaning within and across cultures. It also helps children develop skills that will open further opportunities later in life. The teaching of French in KS2 provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching at KS3. Lesson are high quality and presented in a fun and engaging way to ignite a passion for learning languages and about other cultures.
The aims and objectives of learning a modern foreign language in primary school are:
- To foster an interest in learning other languages;
- To introduce children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun;
- To make children aware that language has a structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another;
- To help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries;
- To develop their speaking and listening skills;
- To lay the foundations for future study.
How do we teach French? Implementation
KS2 children have a regular weekly lesson of modern foreign language a week, in order to ensure progression and skills development plus other opportunities throughout the week to practice what they have learnt, such as during registration. French is the modern foreign language that is taught in our school.
The children are taught to know and understand how to:
- Ask and answer questions;
- Use correct pronunciation and intonation;
- Memorise words;
- Interpret meaning;
- Understand basic grammar;
- Use dictionaries;
- Work in pairs and groups, and communicate in French;
- Look at life in another culture.
During French sessions, children are given the opportunity to work as a class, as individuals and as part of a group. The choice of class organisation is determined by the learning task. By its nature MFL will involve lots of interaction with visual, auditory and kinaesthetic prompts. Lessons involve a range of activities but all usually follow the present, practise, produce model when learning vocabulary.
Our school follows the Primary Languages Network scheme of work. It is a live scheme which is continually updated and revised in order to meet with current curriculum standards. Alongside the planning provided, the network also enriches this through accompanying power points, pod casts (spoken by native speakers) links to authentic literature, songs, games, culture points of reference, links to appropriate websites.
What is the outcome? (Impact)
At Scargill we aim to spark and evolve a passion for languages which we be carried through to the child’s learning in Secondary School. Children will have a solid foundation on which to build a greater understanding of languages. Through learning about our wider world and how other people live we aspire to instil tolerance and understanding in our children with the aspiration they will pass this knowledge onto others who may challenge these values.