Eastcourt
Independent School
French
French is taught at Eastcourt from Year 3, by a specialist teacher. Lessons are active, with a large proportion being orally-based activities which relate to children’s lives. There is also a French Club for younger children who want an earlier introduction to the subject.
Intent
In line with the 2014 National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages we aim to ensure that all children:
Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.
Are able to speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and that they are 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. At Eastcourt the goal is to foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We are committed to helping children develop skills that will open further opportunities later in life. The teaching of French in KS2 provides an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching at KS3.
At Eastcourt we provide children with a good start in acquiring a modern foreign language. In French lessons children will have lots of opportunities to develop their spoken, written and listening skills.Children will become aware that a language has a structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another.
Implementation
Children are introduced to French in Year 3 by a specialist teacher who teaches classes on a weekly basis. There is a strong emphasis on listening and speaking skills which enable children to express their ideas and thoughts in French.
Lessons are sequenced so that prior learning is considered and opportunities for revision of language and grammar are built in.
Children are taught to listen attentively to spoken language and respond by joining in with songs, rhymes, games and role plays.
We follow a topic-based approach and follow the ‘Rigolo’ schemes of work. This covers oracy, literacy and cultural understanding. Language is taught to all children whatever their ability, providing learning opportunities that enable all pupils to make progress. Lessons also seek to enhance children’s knowledge and understanding of French culture and traditions and any differences when compared with their own.
Lessons are taught in as much target language as possible and children are encouraged to use the language during the lesson to give the date, say how they are feeling and to respond to questions.
Impact
Children will transfer to KS3 effectively and successfully and will be well prepared to continue and develop their language skills.
