Brookburn’s Intent
Our languages curriculum is relevant, broad, vibrant and ambitious and fosters pupils’ curiosity and deepens children’s understanding of the world.
The four key language learning skills; listening, speaking, reading and writing will be taught and all necessary grammar will be covered in an age-appropriate way across the primary phase. This will enable our pupils to use and apply their learning in a variety of contexts, laying down solid foundations for future language learning and also helping the children improve overall attainment in other subject areas.
Our curriculum will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about French. Learning a second language will also offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, develop a deeper understanding of other cultures and the world around them with a better awareness of self, others and cultural differences. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners.
Our Implementation
Our language curriculum is based on Language Angels scheme of work and is delivered by a French specialist. Weekly lessons take place in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6. Children will acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes – building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language.
Teaching units are structured to ensure that the French taught is appropriate to the level of the class. Children will be taught how to listen and read longer pieces of text gradually in the foreign language and they will have ample opportunities to speak, listen to, read and write the language being taught with and without scaffolds, frames and varying levels of support.
Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their French language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge. Grammar is integrated and taught discreetly throughout all appropriate units.
Impact
Pupil voice tells us that our pupils really enjoy learning French at our school. Many refer to the lessons as fun and interesting and they talk about enjoying the practical elements including songs and games. Assessment shows us that very good progress is being made.
Our children understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources. Our curriculum ensures opportunities for speaking with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation. Children can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt. Through the curriculum structure, children discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.
French Partner School
We continue to build strong links with our French Partner School in St Genis Laval. Our most recent project had involved children in Year 4 producing booklets all about themselves in French which will be read by the children in France who will reply. We also have established links with our Partner School Barlow Hall Primary and are involved in collaborative French projects.
