St. Finian's Catholic Primary School

At St. Finian’s we use the programme- ‘Language Angels’ to teach the French language.

Our curriculum is designed to ignite children’s’ curiosity about the world, promote cultural awareness, and foster a lifelong love for languages. Our aim is to equip our children with the foundational skills to communicate confidently in a foreign language and inspire them to explore language further as they progress through education and beyond.

By introducing our children to a new language, we aim to:

· Develop their communication skills and confidence.

· Foster curiosity and appreciation for other cultures and traditions.

· Strengthen their understanding of grammar and language structures.

· Lay a foundation for future language learning and global citizenship.

At St Finian’s, our French curriculum is taught through a systematic and phonics based learning programme from Years 3 to Year 6. By engaging in action games, learning songs and rhymes, listening to stories, repetition and roleplay, children use all their senses to learn this new skill. Lessons are engaging, interactive, and accessible to all learners, with an emphasis on speaking and listening in the early stages.

Children are taught basic grammatical rules and are encouraged to speak without fear of making a mistake by asking questions and responding to others during lessons.

Children learn to understand the differences and similarities between French, English and other languages they may know. They learn different verbs forms, nouns, adjectives and adverbs and are taught to use these in spoken and eventually written language. They start by following scaffolded sentences and then, having learnt how to use a bi-lingual dictionary, start to create sentences of their own.

Key strategies we use for successful language learning include:

-Practical Lessons: Each lesson is designed to be immersive, with lots of opportunities for speaking and listening through role-play, songs, games, and storytelling.
-Cultural Exposure: Children learn about the customs, traditions, and everyday life of countries where the language is spoken, helping to broaden their global awareness.
-Progression and Building Confidence: Vocabulary and language structures are introduced gradually, with regular opportunities for revision and practice to build fluency.
-Cross-curricular Links: Where possible, links are made between MFL and other subjects, such as geography, art, and history, to deepen understanding and provide real-world contexts.
-Differentiated Instruction: We ensure that lessons cater to different learning needs, providing both support and challenge to enable all children to progress.
-Children have access to a range of resources, including interactive materials, digital tools, and visual aids, to enhance learning and bring the language to life.

French Club: Opportunities to attend small group, French lessons at lunch time are available throughout the week for KS1 and KS2 children and can be booked and paid for by parents through the school office.

We believe that learning a foreign language: opens doors to new opportunities, broadens horizons, fosters respect and understanding for other people and prepares our children for life in a multicultural world. This is so important to us as a Catholic school and follows our important principles of catholic social teaching (CST).

The impact of our MFL curriculum is seen in the enthusiasm of our children for language learning and their growing confidence in using a foreign language.

By the end of Key Stage 2, children will:

-Be able to understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.
-Speak with increasing confidence, fluency, and spontaneity, engaging in conversations, asking and answering questions.
-Write phrases and simple sentences with basic grammar accuracy.
-Demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of different cultures, fostering empathy and respect for diversity.

Assessment

Through regular assessment and feedback, we ensure that children make good progress in their language learning journey. The skills developed in MFL develop their communication abilities, problem-solving skills, and overall cognitive development. This supports their ability to engage in their secondary school learning and beyond, facilitating their understanding of the world as an informed, global citizen.