Intent:
At Hardwick Green Primary Academy, our aim is to develop children’s learning of the French
language and the understanding of its culture in an enjoyable and stimulating way for all pupils.
Our aim is that learners will:
- make substantial progress in learning French and meet the targets of the KS2 Programme of Study.
- become resilient, independent learners who enjoy language learning and acquire language learning skills and strategies that allow them to succeed, including what to do when faced with unfamiliar language, memorisation and retrieval.
- develop the skill of using a bilingual dictionary and reference materials.
- manipulate language to speak or write French using their knowledge of features of French including grammar.
- recognise similarities and differences between English (and other languages they speak) and French.
- notice patterns and key sounds in French, including graphemes used to represent them, and apply them to speaking listening and reading aloud.
- appreciate and join in with songs, rhymes and stories, moving from copying sounds to adapting them through substitution and expansion.
- have a deeper understanding of cultural differences and similarities, including French as a world language.
Implementation:
Long term planning is in place to ensure coverage and progression of skills and knowledge required in the National Curriculum.
We value active learning opportunities to immerse children fully into the learning experience and strive to provide creative opportunities, where they will build on prior learning and take risks. The Rising Stars scheme provides opportunities to listen to spoken language and the children can respond and collaborate to build their confidence. Over time, the careful progression of skills allows children to explore and learn patterns and sounds in the language, and to link the spellings and meaning of words in French. They also learn to read and understand an increasing vocabulary and some phrases to use in simple writing. The Rising Stars is a lively and interactive resource. There are animations, storyboards and activities which aim to speed up the recognition of useful vocabulary. There are cross-curricular links to everyday life, school, and the French culture. There is a careful progression of learning (broken down into phonics, vocabulary, and grammar knowledge) starting in year 3 and following through to the end of year 6.
In Year 6, as a culmination of their learning, children have to opportunity to go on a four-day residential trip to Paris and visit landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower and Louvre. They also apply their French learning to real-life situations such as visiting shops and markets.
Impact:
The impact of our MFL curriculum is constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. We use Enquire Learning Trust’s foundation subject assessment system, which shows pupils’ understanding in phonics, grammar and vocabulary. It identifies next steps for learning and areas to be the focus of retrieval practice to ensure pupils know more and remember more in MFL.