Languages

At Oxclose Primary Academy our focus language is French. Across their time in Key Stage 2, we want to increase pupils’ confidence and enthusiasm for speaking French, whether in a conversation, playing a game or answering questions. We also want pupils to learn about French culture, for example how children live in France, the food they may eat or the games they may play.

We feel that it is important for pupils to have the opportunity to speak, read and write French for themselves through the use of games, songs, stories and interactive resources and use the programme ‘Salut!’ to encourage children to join in these activities. Across the key stage, it is important that pupils are able to grow in confidence and improve their ability to converse in French through speaking, listening, reading and writing.

We believe that pupils should be helped to deepen their knowledge about the world they live in and that learning a foreign language provides a valuable educational, social and cultural experience.

‘Salut!’ covers the Programme of Study for Key Stage 2; the school’s Long Term Plan for French incorporates the 24 units from the programme over Years 3 to 6. Each unit is themed and lasts half a term. Pupils are introduced to key vocabulary through games and reading and listening activities. They are then encouraged to use these new words in phrases, sentences and songs and each unit ends with a story or further song, again using the key vocabulary. Within the lessons, pupils also practise asking and answering questions, with an emphasis on using the correct pronunciation and grammar, and older pupils are introduced to written activities such as labelling, sentence work and simple comprehension tasks. Each unit of work identifies the prior knowledge pupils need to access the unit, focus vocabulary, a recommended format for each lesson and additional extension activities, if needed.

French is taught in Key Stage 2 in discrete weekly sessions which aim to develop effective and transferrable language learning, including knowledge and skills that help pupils access the wider world. Progression is built into the curriculum, which is taught in units, helping pupils to acquire, use and apply an increasing vocabulary across a range of situations.

Pupils will be expected to be able to recall key vocabulary within the teaching sequence and after the unit has finished. Pupils in Upper Key Stage 2 will also complete written activities to identify what they have learned over previous units.

Pupils will be able to answer questions within the context of a conversation and talk about themselves with increasing confidence and using more complex sentence structures. They will have knowledge of songs and stories and will continue to retain their knowledge of vocabulary, even after the unit has been completed. Key vocabulary will be returned to and extended through the teaching of further units.

To enable us to measure impact, the subject manager and senior leaders will use lesson visits, work scrutinies and pupil voice activities across the year.