Languages
French Statement Of Intent
At Shanklea Primary School we ensure that a high level of practical engagement inspires
and challenges pupils to understand, speak, read and write in the modern French language.
As pupils progress, they are encouraged to use their knowledge and taught vocabulary to
understand and use the language in a wider context. To do this, we use a scheme called
Language Angels, which offers interactive materials to allow children to develop their
reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. The scheme has been designed and created by
foreign language teaching specialists and linguists who have spent thousands of hours over
many years creating, testing and refining the foreign language lessons. To access the
website, you can click on the following link: https://www.languageangels.com/schools/.
Please ask your child’s class teacher for their Language Angels log in to access the free
resources from home.
We aim to ensure that all pupils:
understand and respond to spoken and written French 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.
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 French writing.
Subject Content:
Key Stage 1
There is no compulsory teaching of an alternative language at Key Stage 1. However, at
Shanklea Primary School, we recognise that children can often learn language readily at this
age. We therefore provide this opportunity for learning using extra-curricular time in a fun
and engaging French Club.
Key Stage 2
At Shanklea Primary School, we have chosen French to enable pupils to make substantial
progress in one language. The teaching provides a progressive, appropriate balance of
spoken and written language and lays the foundations for further foreign language teaching
at key stage 3. It enables pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in
speech and writing, focusing on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of
phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary. The focus of study in French is on
practical communication.
Pupils are taught to:
responding.
explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the
spelling, sound and meaning of words.
engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to
those of others; seek clarification and help.
speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures.
develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they
are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases.
present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences.
read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.
appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in French.
broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are
introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary.
write phrases from memory and adapt these to create new sentences, to express
ideas clearly.
describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing.
understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including
feminine and masculine forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key
features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build
sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.
Assessment
Children in KS2 will study a new unit every half-term and will complete an end of unit
assessment. The assessment will evaluate their speaking, listening, reading and writing
skills. The children will also complete a self-assessment of the unit to gauge how confident
they are feeling about each aspect they have learnt.