Intent

At St Bartholomew’s, we believe that the acquisition of a language is part of a broader curriculum which involves a love and appreciation of language and culture. We intend to develop an interesting and varied curriculum so that the skills, knowledge and understanding gained through learning a new language can make a major contribution to the development of children’s oracy, to their confidence and also to their understanding of their own culture/s and those of others. Language also lies at the heart of ideas about individual identity and community; therefore, through learning another language, we aim to inspire curiosity and a love of languages that pupils will strengthen and develop as they progress through our school. Pupils should be able to extend their knowledge of how language works and explore the differences between how the French and English languages are structured.

Implementation

The focus language at St Bartholomew’s is French and our MFL curriculum has been designed to cover all of the objectives as set out in the National Curriculum in relation to the French language. The curriculum has been planned and sequenced as a progression of units providing an appropriate balance of spoken and written language. These units not only introduce new vocabulary, grammatical structures and phonology to pupils but also links to previously taught knowledge, allowing them the opportunity to apply, consolidate and build on this as each unit progresses. Our linguists complete each unit with an assessment piece that allows each child to present their new found knowledge and ideas in a written format, orally and to an audience.

We have created our own scheme in order to ensure every pupil moves from initially being taught the ‘core’ vocabulary to ensure that they have a secure understanding of basic words and phrases. This knowledge base is then extended, allowing pupils to expand their recognition of French vocabulary, subsequently leading them to apply this to conversations, asking and answering questions, expressing opinions and respond to those of others.

At St Bartholomew’s, our linguists are taught to read, write, listen to and speak parts of the French language. Opportunities for pupils to explore these skills are built into each lesson, allowing them the opportunity to analyse the vocabulary and practise applying it confidently themselves. All children will explore the French language by exploring patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and use links between the French and English language to develop an awareness of spelling and the meaning of words. They will develop confidence with the French language and the accurate pronunciation and intonation of French through regular practice and feedback.

Impact

Through a broad French curriculum, children will develop a new perspective on the French language, tools to share this knowledge and a confidence to voice them. Language teaching at St Bartholomew’s, through our comprehensive French curriculum, will equip all children with a set of skills which will allow them to be confident communicators. By providing the children with as many audiences as possible, children will develop a strength in the way they communicate with others and learn how to adapt their tone and vocabulary depending on who they are presenting to. They will also develop a maturity in the way they listen and speak to others. The overall impact of this will enable all children to gain confidence in their own voice and ensure their voice is heard. We are passionate that to be able to succeed later on in life, all children should be able to have the ability to stand up and be counted from an early age and so are better prepared for today’s world and the future.