French

Intent:

At Dinton School, we believe that the learning of a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience for our pupils. 

We support children to develop communication skills including the key skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. This extends their knowledge of how language works.  Learning another language gives the children a new perspective on the world encouraging them to understand their own cultures and those of others. At Dinton, children receive 40-60 minutes of French teaching each week from Year 3 upwards.

We want children to know where French is spoken around the world and begin to develop some knowledge of French life and culture.

Implementation:

There is a statutory requirement for children in KS2 to learn a foreign language. French lessons are taught by a specialist French teacher who visits Dinton every Tuesday. She teaches French to both KS2 classes.

The curriculum overview is personally designed by our specialist French teacher and is bespoke to our school. A simplified version is available to download. The curriculum is supported by both Early Start videos and the Linguafun website and physical resources.

The curriculum is designed to cover language structures and story telling with lots of opportunities to revise language use in context.

Children also learn about what life is like in France through texts, Early Start videos, videos taken by the teacher, photographs and items such as leaflets and menus sourced in France.

Impact:

Children at Dinton School are encouraged to understand the relevance of what they are learning in languages and how it relates to everyday life, work and travel.  It is emphasised how the language could help them in another country or to talk to a French speaker, both now and in their future careers. They also understand that they are language detectives who can use what they already know to make educated guesses about new words and phrases using clues such as similarities between spelling and grammar in different languages

The teacher fosters an enjoyment of languages and learning about a different culture through a variety of strategies including using videos, flashcards, songs, games, artefacts and storymaps. Progression through a topic is evident in the development of key skills and acquisition of main vocabulary. Evidence is kept of children’s work in books and on You Tube (link on website).

Our pupils leave Year 6 ready for learning French and other foreign languages at secondary school with a positive attitude, a wider vocabulary, a willingness to have a go at saying foreign words, an understanding of different linguistic structures and the understanding that they can apply existing knowledge to help them learn new words and skills – in languages and beyond.

Evidence is kept of children’s work in books and on You Tube (link below)