French at Hill View Primary Academy

At Hill View, we see want all of our pupils to experience and to learn a foreign language which we see as an opportunity to provide a  window to other cultures, through development of practical, useful knowledge for all 21st century young people. Language learning is not only about developing competence in another language, important though this is. It is about the broader curriculum; about children exploring the relationship between language and identity, about developing an international outlook and an enhanced understanding of the world and their place within it. Learning another language is full of rich opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural experiences. Videos, songs, rhymes and stories all enrich pupils’ experience with cultural insights into other people’s lives. Pupils may try out aspects of another culture in their classroom, such as food, clothes or celebrations, building a positive understanding of key features of personal and national identity, values and beliefs. Learning a language equips pupils to express themselves in new ways. This develops their immediate sense of belonging to the wider world and starts to prepare them for future opportunities in modern life.

Learning a language in KS2 means pupils grow up with this understanding as their world-view is developing, without the defensiveness of an older learner who feels that language learning challenges their settled world-view. British Values should not be defined in opposition to the values of others, just as one family can define what values are important to them, without implying that other families don’t have equally valid principles. Learning another language develops an understanding and respect for diversity, removing barriers between cultures.

Principles and purpose – the intent of your curriculum

We have decided that we wish to induct our pupils into languages from the beginning of their time in school to provide a fabulous foundation upon which to build as the children move into the National Curriculum Programmes of Study, which are statutory in KS2.

Recruiting our own specialist MFL language Teacher (from January 2022) ensures that we can better foster pupils’ curiosity and further deepen their understanding of the wider world. Mrs Bonds, our new French teacher, has worked this year on moving from the curriculum taught by the external provider to the development of our own exciting and engaging scheme of work and our own bespoke curriculum.

Prior to this, the school bought in provision to support the teaching of French from an external provider but this provision fell below our standards for a high-quality languages education.

Our approach to teaching French sits within our whole school values, curriculum values and wider approached to teaching and learning:

The curriculum and teaching we aim to continually develop will enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language (French) through a wide range of planned learning experiences and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It will also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching will hopefully  provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries as well as being proactive in helping to make our world a better place to live.

KS1 & 2 Key Knowledge and Understanding

Language Progression KS2 French

Our teaching and curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
  • speak 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
  • can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
  • discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

At Hill View we teach French. In Reception and Key Stage 1 this is oral and there is a focus on speaking and listening and practical communication using familiar vocabulary and settings explored through another language with some learning of what familiar routines, conversations and settings are like elsewhere, specifically France. In Key Stage 2 the teaching and curriculum provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language that has been designed to lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. In all lessons we enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. Whilst much of this language teaching is discrete, where possible, we plan to make links into our wider integrated curriculum. This is an area of development for us over the Academic Year 2022-2023.

Entitlement and Enrichment.

It is our expectation that all pupils will develop fluency and competence in spoken communication and dialogue at an appropriate level by the time they are in Year 6. Pupils that struggle will be supported and, where appropriate there will be opportunities for challenge and enrichment.

Breadth and Balance–

Pupils will have access to a rich, broad and balanced curriculum, framed by the school learning values of ASCENT.
All pupils will 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
  • write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
  • 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
Teaching narrative and resources–

Why French? Le français is the 5th most spoken language globally and in every continent of the world. By employing a specialist languages teacher to teach French, the pupils have access to fluent French speaker, having lived in both France and Belgium. Through development of the curriculum, I hope to immerse pupils in French culture and include real life stimuli which will enhance provision at the school over the coming year to build upon and further develop language teaching.

Assessment and outcomes?

Expectations are high for pupil outcomes and use of spoken, read and written French vocabulary and language both discretely and in support of learning across the curriculum.
Assessment in languages is primarily to inform and support teaching and learning, enabling the class teacher to refine planning to best meet learner needs. During lessons, the class teacher, where appropriate, will unobtrusively record evidence of particular competences as they emerge in the course of teaching and learning. Pupils’ work will be completed in an exercise book, which will be an additional source of ongoing evidence of progress, amounting to a portfolio. This work will be marked in accordance with the school’s policy. Periodically, the teacher will update a class record of progress, in terms of the specific learning objectives set out in the KS2 Programme of Study.

Review and evaluate – what works well and where there is room for improvement
  • After a period where this aspect of the curriculum was taught by an external provider (Primary PPA), we have recruited a permanent member of staff (Jan 2022)to lead this area forward and to develop the curriculum to ensure that there is greater linkage to the integrated curriculum.
  • To identify and develop the discrete French and languages curriculum with reference to a new scheme and resources to be identified
  • Raise the profile of French culture, celebrations and festivals across the school year and to embed the use of French into appropriate integrated curriculum projects?
    e.g. Y5 Les Voyages (Tour Guides)/ Y6 Les Egyptiens et les Légendes (How Civilised)