French
A curriculum designed for Lyme Community Primary School
MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES – CURRICULUM INTENT
Purpose of study
In our school we teach French to all our children as part of our normal school curriculum from Y3 to Y6.
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 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. At Lyme we teach our children a language:
- To foster an interest in learning other languages;
- To introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun;
- To make young 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.
In addition to this, learning a language develops our children’s knowledge and understanding of the world. As a Rights-Respecting School, we are keen to develop our children’s Global Citizenship, which we do through geography units of work, assemblies, Values lessons and Global Week. We strive for our children to be outwardly-looking global citizens who are knowledgeable, tolerant and educated about the wider world.
At Lyme, we value the importance of specialist teaching, therefore our choice of MFL – French - is suited to the expertise of our school staff. The sessions are taught using an effective scheme – Primary Languages – which ensures the National Curriculum requirements are covered; that skills taught are progressive and all staff feel supported to deliver MFL session with confidence.
At Lyme, French is taught in a variety of ways to make our children’s learning experiences more meaningful: singing, role play, paired and groups games, reading, writing new vocabulary in a variety of contexts and learning about the country itself.
Assessment and Curriculum Planning
At Lyme Community Primary School we believe children should be taught a modern foreign language through a variety of hands-on learning experiences to develop them as linguists.
At KS2 we use the National Curriculum charted through objective statements to monitor individual pupil progress against the key stage expectations. The system assesses pupil progress against age appropriate descriptors; this enables teachers to monitor which pupils are working towards their age related expectations and who may be exceeding these goals. This information is then used to inform curriculum planning outlining how additional support or challenge can be provided in order to meet the needs of our pupils. This information is also used by teachers when reporting to parents.
