Modern Foreign Languages (French)

With languages, you are at home anywhere.

Curriculum Intent 

At Buckingham Primary School, we embrace our multi-cultural society, and learning a foreign language provides an opportunity to learn about other cultures. From the early years of school, children at Buckingham learn about other cultures through exploring their traditions and celebrations. Our core language is French, and formal French lessons begin during the summer term of Year Two. At Buckingham, children learn to express ideas in French and respond to oral and written questions. Children learn to communicate for practical purposes and how to derive meaning using various strategies. Using the Language Angels programme of study, in addition to other resources, children learn about numbers, colours, house and home, town, food and drink, school life, clothes and hobbies. As children progress through Key Stage Two, they learn to speak with increasing confidence and fluency. Children are taught to become more independent and creative with their oral and written explanations, finding new ways to express thoughts and opinions. The learning of French at Buckingham Primary School provides a foundation for acquiring further language through a skill and knowledge based curriculum, enabling them to become lifelong learners.

Implementation

At Buckingham Primary School, Modern Foreign Languages (French) is taught weekly and lessons are delivered using the Language Angels resources. Within each unit, children will carry out a variety of tasks, covering writing, reading, listening and speaking. At the beginning of each unit, pupils will have a chance to revisit prior knowledge, including phonetic sounds, which they will then build on as they move through the school. Teachers will explicitly teach new vocabulary using the Language Angels programme alongside flash cards to aid rapid recall. Pupils are encouraged to commit vocabulary to their long-term memory with end-of-unit quizzes, knowledge organisers and classroom displays. Using the Language Angels scheme of work, there are a variety of opportunities for class teachers to assess the learning happening in their class. These include writing, reading, listening and speaking tasks, which inform the assessment outcomes. At the end of each unit, teacher judgements are added to assessment grids.