MFL at Colden (French)

Intent: what are we trying to achieve with our curriculum? 

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should 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 should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries. 

By the end of Year 6, pupils will have acquired the knowledge and skills for their next phase of education.  Specifically, they will:

• 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
• 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. 

Our French curriculum reflects the national curriculum whilst also reflecting  the needs of the school community.

Inclusion

Colden is an inclusive school. For those children with SEND and/or deemed ‘vulnerable’, adjustments are made based upon individual needs. These may be to the curriculum itself or to access arrangements. At the same time, the importance of fostering independence and developing the confidence and ability to meet appropriate challenges is understood and promoted.

Implementation: how do we deliver our curriculum?

French is taught throughout Key Stage 2.  Teachers have worked together to produce a long-term plan which sets out how children will progressively build up their knowledge and skills from Year 3 to Year 6. This includes the key French vocabulary and grammar structures to be taught on a 2-year cycle. From this, teachers then devise a logical sequence of learning for each unit of work.

Pupils record their learning in their French books. These provide evidence of their progress, as well as serving as useful tools for children with which to support the regular recapping of prior learning. 

Teachers appreciate that the curriculum may require adapting for different pupils according to their needs.  Those pupils showing a high level of skills and knowledge will need greater challenge.  Others may require scaffolded support or reasonable adjustments.  Scaffolds by teachers and or support staff should be with the intention of providing the minimum help necessary in order to allow the pupils to work independently.  Each pupil is unique and teachers build up their expertise in meeting their needs over time in their class. For this reason, teachers are responsible for adapting their lessons according to their assessments. 

Leaders recognize the importance of a high-quality French curriculum. Therefore, access to appropriate teaching and learning resources are provided in order to support teachers and pupils. 

Impact: what difference is our curriculum making to pupils?

Teachers assess pupils’ progress against the expectations of the curriculum intent through questioning, observing, in discussion and in monitoring pupils’ work.  Teachers constantly ask themselves the question, ‘can pupils demonstrate skills and recall and apply knowledge?’ The answers to this question may result in changes to planning i.e. to provide opportunities for consolidation or adaptations may be made. 

Leaders moderate teachers’ assessments of pupil progress against leaders’ determined curriculum intent.  If the long-term plans and sequences of learning are effectively delivered as set out above, pupils will be ready for their next stage of education.  

Equal Opportunities 

The school is committed to providing equal opportunities for all, regardless of race, faith, gender or capability in all aspects of school. We promote self and mutual respect and a caring and non-judgmental attitude throughout the school.