French Curriculum at Bramber

Intent 

Our intention at Bramber is to have a clear progression in the understanding of French taught throughout Key Stage 2. We endeavour to teach and encourage our children to develop an interest in learning a language, in a way that is enjoyable and inspiring. We make every effort to stimulate and encourage children’s curiosity about language and help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries. We strive to embed the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills necessary to enable children to use and apply their French learning in a variety of contexts. This lays the foundations for further progression and future language learning, preparing children to be global citizens.

Implementation 

French is taught weekly in KS2;

It is delivered by a native-speaking French teacher who uses resources from her large collection of materials from teaching French over the years. She uses resources from Linguascope, TES and. uses the Lightbulb Language website for other resources. She does not follow one particular programme or scheme.

Having a dedicated native French speaking teacher allows the children to hear and imitate the language as it is spoken in the real world.

Our curriculum has been carefully planned so that it is broad and varied, and follows progression through the key stage. The planning identifies the outcomes we expect children to reach at the end of each year group. Lessons include familiar, routine matters, starting with greetings, numbers, and colours. This progresses to more complex themes such as clothes, food, the home, sports and towns. Children are encouraged to express opinions and preferences through these themes, giving language learning a context.

We are proud to broaden children’s cultural knowledge through finding out about French life. Each term includes learning about French culture, geography and history. This is an important learning opportunity for cross-curricular Humanities learning.

Seasonal lessons are covered through art and songs at Christmas and Easter. A variety of techniques is used to encourage the children to engage actively in the language: these include playing games, role-play and songs. We use a wide variety of resources incorporating videos and audio recordings, which allow the children to engage in their learning in a fun way. Assessment is currently through ongoing teacher assessment.

Initially we place more emphasis on listening and speaking skills than on reading and writing skills. We also use a multi-sensory and kinaesthetic approach to teaching, i.e., we try to introduce a physical element into some games, as we believe that this serves to reinforce memory. The lessons are as entertaining and enjoyable as possible, as we realise that this approach serves to develop a positive attitude in the children to the learning of languages. Not all children take to learning languages naturally, so we build children’s confidence through constant praise for any contribution they make in the foreign language, however tentativ

Impact

The teaching of French has a positive impact at Bramber. The children are lively and engaged and respond positively. Obviously, there are some children who find learning a new language tricky, and we make sure these children are made to feel successful and included through praise and reward. Certificates and cups are presented every lesson for participation and good learning. Therefore, children are learning that they all have the ability to learn a new language, which promotes self-esteem. At Bramber we are developing children’s foreign language skills, making them ready for further learning at high school.