Curriculum Intent

Belsay Primary School aims to develop citizens of global change through equipping them with knowledge and understanding of world affairs to help them to be informed members of society with a strong sense of social responsibility and justice.  French at primary school is an integral part of our global curriculum.  It shows respect for others in a globalised world, challenging the assumption that ‘English is enough’.  Making the effort to try and understand someone in their language shows we can respect, work hard and be kind.

“Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures” (Programme of Study)

Learning a foreign language helps us see the world from a different perspective.  Our curriculum protects from insularity as it celebrates identity and diversity in the cultural events and stand-out figures throughout Francophonie that inspire and intrigue - such as Léopold Senghor, Raphaël Padilla, Joséphine Baker, Marie Curie, and Coco Chanel among others.

The challenge of language learning contributes to the development of our school values of creativity, empathy, resilience and collaboration as well as communication and  self-esteem.

We have chosen French in primary in Pele Trust as preparation for Year 7 Foreign Languages at Ponteland High School; many pupils will broaden their horizons  later with Spanish or German in Year 8.

The French curriculum aims is designed to give children success in;

• understanding and responding to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources from around the French speaking world

• speaking with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity with an increasingly sound application of phonics and grammar

• celebrating diversity and embracing commonalities with speakers of other languages

• understanding our language roots and provide a foundation for lifelong language learning

Children are taught to explore language and develop an interest in the world beyond Ponteland, supporting them to make informed choices about how they engage with the world around them.  The children will have a deep understanding of their place in the world and understand how language and knowledge of another culture can broaden their horizons.

Implementation

• Our French curriculum is organised through three key elements: language (comprising vocabulary, phonics and grammar), culture and skills

• Our curriculum is underpinned by the Oxfam Education for Global Citizenship with seven global learning themes developing knowledge and understanding, skills and values and attitudes

• Our school values serve to add integrity to attitudes and responses to the subject and to improve the learning environment

• Children are exposed to a carefully curated vocabulary set, and grammar and phonics progression which build year on year

Language

Our French curriculum is designed to help learners make substantial progress in vocabulary, phonics and grammar. We learn language so that we can communicate with others in context. We learn how to greet and say how we are feeling; to describe families, animals, appearance, where we live; to talk about what music or food or hobbies we like; as well as ‘core’ content such as numbers, days, months.

Culture

French in France is one part of a diverse French speaking world and we give children the opportunity to encounter many interesting and inspiring aspects from cultures, countries and role models throughout Francophonie.  This is enhanced by our links and partnership work with schools in France.

Skills

By the end of Key Stage 2 children will have learned to communicate in simple language with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity. They will learn to listen attentively and pronounce words accurately, use a bilingual dictionary and develop other skills such as: asking questions, reading and listening to authentic sources, and having conversations. The challenge of language learning also helps develop creativity, empathy, communication, resilience and  self-esteem.

Our French teacher, Madame Barton works collaboratively with the Pele Trust languages lead.  This ensures that the curriculum pupils receive at KS2 prepares them exceptionally well for KS3 languages.

French lessons are inclusive with an engaging multi-modal approach that allows pupils to rehearse and retrieve learning through a range of song, stories, poems, art, games, and listening, reading, writing, copying, conversing, acting.