At Altham St. James’ we teach a modern foreign language to all the children through school (including EYFS and KS1) for several reasons:
- The learning of a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for pupils.
- There is good evidence that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language is acquired and the learning becomes deeper and longer lasting.
- It is widely believed that the early acquisition of a foreign language facilitates the learning of other languages later in life.
- The learning of a foreign language provides a medium for cross-curricular links and for the reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other subjects.
French is the primary language taught throughout school although pupils are also taught the links with other languages for example Italian and Spanish.
Aims and objectives
- 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 structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another.
- To help children develop their awareness and interest of cultural differences in other countries.
- To develop confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing in another language.
- To lay the foundations for future study.
Organisation
We teach French to children in Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 for approximately 30 minutes a week. This can be arranged in one session per week, over several short sessions during the week or blocked into longer periods of time. In EYFS and KS1, children are introduced to French through short sessions over the school year.
The curriculum that we follow is based on the guidance given in the National Curriculum Programme of Study for KS2 and we use Early Start languages 1 and 2, Espresso and other resources to support teaching.
Pupils should be taught to:
- Listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
- Explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
- Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
- Speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
- Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
- Present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
- Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
- Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
- Broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
- Describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
- Understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.
Inclusion
At our school we teach a foreign language to all children, whatever their ability. A foreign language forms part of the school curriculum to provide a broad and balanced education to all children.
Through our foreign language teaching we provide learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make progress. We do this by setting suitable learning challenges and responding to each child’s different needs. We enable pupils to have access to the full range of activities involved in learning a modern foreign language.