ASHURST CE AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL
MFL- FRENCH POLICY
Aims and Objectives
Our Intent
As the UK is becoming an increasingly multicultural society, we have a duty to provide our children with an understanding of other cultures and languages beyond those in our community. At Ashurst, we teach a two-year French topic cycle in both Y3&Y4 and Y5&Y6 which is fully inclusive and accessible by all leaners. Our curriculum is organised around different topics and designed to progressively develop children’s confidence and skills in not only acquiring, using and applying a growing bank of vocabulary but in learning about French life and culture. Children are supported in developing their speaking and listening skills through conversational and vocabulary work with fluent French speakers. This ensures that children are accessing work at age related expectations, with regular opportunities to be challenged. As their understanding and skills develop, children record their work in drawings, captions and sentences.
It is our aim for children at Ashurst to:
- Foster an interest in learning another language;
- Develop confidence and competence in a foreign language;
- Be passionate, curious and confident about a foreign language when they leave primary school
- Develop speaking and listening skills;
- Apply and develop their knowledge of languages and language learning;
- Gain enjoyment, pride and a sense of achievement;
- Explore their own cultural identity and those of others;
- Increase personal aspiration.
Teaching and Learning Approaches – Our Implementation
EYFS and Key Stage 1
At Ashurst we believe that early exposure to languages is key and so encourage the language learning process from Reception. Children in Reception and KS1 experience basic French vocabulary through different experiences such as taking the register and singing songs.
Planning and Teaching in KS2
Our whole school approach to language teaching and learning is in line with the recommendations of the National Curriculum and the requirements outlined in the Department for Education Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2.
The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
- 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
- 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 authentic writing in the language studied.
Learning and Teaching strategies
French is taught in a whole-class setting by the teacher. Teachers at Ashurst plan their lessons using the Kapow scheme of work and can supplement this with their own ideas and experience and those of their colleagues. French culture and history are included in cross-curricular learning such as Marie Curie in science and Monet, Edouard Martinet and Louise Bourgeois in art. Children are supported in their acquisition and practise of vocabulary by fluent French speakers.
There is an overarching strand of ‘Language detective skills’ which are the language learning techniques used in every lesson to develop the five key strands of:
- Listening
- Reading and Writing
- Grammar
- Intercultural Understanding
The ‘Language detective skills’ engages and supports learners to develop their skills in the other five strands and transfer these skills to learn further languages.
It involves:
● Recognising learnt vocabulary when listening or reading
● Spotting cognates (words which have the same origin or are in some way similar) and near-cognates
● Using context and their own knowledge of the world to predict the meaning of unknown words
● Considering word order to anticipate the meaning of words
The two-year scheme develops these skills in a progressive way so that by Year 6 pupils are able to use these strategies to confidently tackle unknown spoken and written language and search for meaning.
The lessons are designed to motivate, captivate and interest children from the first moment. They have clear, achievable objectives and incorporate different learning styles. SEN children have access to the curriculum through variation of task, grouping or support from an adult.
Each class has a timetabled lesson that equates to 45 minutes per week.
French can also be revisited in short sessions throughout the week to consolidate knowledge and ensure new language is retained.
French learning includes:
- PowerPoints and interactive whiteboard materials
- Interactive games (which pupils can access from home to consolidate their learning)
- Songs & raps
- Opportunities to practise speaking with a fluent French speaker
- Differentiated desk-based consolidation activities
- Worksheets based activities
- Whole class action games
Each lesson will focus on a combination of the 5 key skills (speaking and pronunciation, listening, reading and writing, grammar and intercultural understanding).
A child -centred and predominantly activity-based approach is used to deliver French, with full use of visuals, audio and kinaesthetic strategies to support different learning styles. This enables pupil participation and involvement in their learning and develops confidence in talking, listening, writing and thinking about the target language and culture.
Please refer to the two-year rolling programme to see what we teach throughout KS2
Equal Opportunities and Inclusion
Ashurst CE Aided Primary School, has universal ambitions for every child, whatever their ability, background or circumstances. Children learn and thrive when they are healthy, safe and engaged. The curricular subject French forms part of our school curriculum policy to provide a broad and balanced education for all of our children. Our teachers provide learning opportunities that are matched to the needs of children with learning difficulties. We strive to meet the needs of all pupils with special educational needs, disabilities, special gifts and talents, and of those learning English as an additional language. We assess the needs of each child, using a variety of techniques, and we take action to enable the child to learn as effectively as possible. When a child is not progressing from quality first teaching then specific differentiation will be used for the child and if necessary, adult support will be provided.
Assessment for Learning:
Assessment in French is carried out termly by the teacher. All children in KS2 are tracked using the in-school tracking system, class teachers assess children based on their knowledge and understanding of spoken and written French linked to the objectives in the National Curriculum.
Outcomes – Our Impact
We aim to prepare children for potential future opportunities in French speaking countries by being able to demonstrate an understanding of spoken French by listening and responding appropriately. They will be able to engage in purposeful dialogue in practical situations (e.g. ordering in a cafe, following directions) and express an opinion. Children will speak and read aloud with confidence and accuracy in pronunciation and make increasingly accurate attempts to read unfamiliar words, phrases, and short texts.
We will have laid the foundations for them to build on their knowledge and skills and take these to a deeper level beyond primary school.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
All children deserve the opportunity to experience happy, fulfilled and successful lives.
At Ashurst CE Aided Primary we acknowledge that mental wellbeing is a normal part of daily life, in the same way as physical health.
At Ashurst CE Aided Primary we nurture our bodies, minds, each other and our environment. By providing opportunities for learning outdoors, we aim to connect children and staff with the natural environment. We embrace the benefits this brings for mental health and physical and emotional wellbeing.
We promote pupils’ self-control and ability to self-regulate, and strategies for doing so. This will enable them to become confident in their ability to achieve well and persevere even when they encounter setbacks or when their goals are distant, and to respond calmly and rationally to setbacks and challenges. This integrated, whole-school approach to the teaching and promotion of health and wellbeing has a potential positive impact on behaviour and attainment.
Pupils will also be taught about the benefits of hobbies, interests and participation in their own communities. We encourage children to recognise that they are social beings and that spending time with others, taking opportunities to consider the needs of others and practising service to others, including in organised and structured activities and groups, are beneficial for health and wellbeing.
Children should be inspired to follow their dreams when they leave school, whether that be to secure a job, begin vocational training or go on to further education.
We have a shared responsibility to prepare our children to achieve mental, physical and economic wellbeing in a local, national and global context.
Learning a foreign language can increase critical thinking skills, creativity and mental flexibility. Speaking in another language enables children to feel a great sense of accomplishment and, it is widely accepted that, acquiring language skills early in their school life facilities the learning of other foreign languages in later education. Additionally, our school’s commitment to child development, through learning French, provides opportunities to nurture a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence, also enabling them to develop stronger interpersonal skills.
Cultural Capital:
At Ashurst we aim to support every child to gain the confidence and the ability to understand and contribute to a varied cultural awareness. We believe that taking children’s learning experiences beyond what they already know is a fundamental part of becoming an educated citizen in society.
French contributes to equipping children with the skills to be confident global citizens through
- learning from people of other countries and cultures
- being able to reflect upon their own cultural identities and those of other people
- developing an understanding and appreciation of the similarities and differences between cultures; and understanding that this is an essential element of their preparation for life in modern Britain
- inspiring an interest of learning languages
- developing the ability to recognise, and value, the things we share in common across cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic communities
- developing an interest in exploring and improving their understanding of, and showing respect for, different faiths and different ethnic and socio-economic groups in the local, national and global communities
- promoting an aspiration for travel and a broadening of life experience by learning about the countries where French is spoken.
Resources
A variety of language learning resources are available in school, as appropriate, for each year group. In addition, in accordance with the requirements of the programme of study for KS2, pupils will be encouraged to engage with authentic text and literature (stories and extracts, poems etc.) in French.
Monitoring and Review
This policy will be reviewed by the headteacher, in consultation with the staff, as and when elements of French are identified or prioritised within the School Development Plan.
The headteacher will monitor the effectiveness of the language teaching provided throughout the school via regular observations with feedback given to teachers delivering foreign language lessons. The headteacher and class teacher will together monitor the learning and progression made by pupils across the key stage.
Roles and Responsibilities
The headteacher, with support from class teachers will actively seek to raise the standards of attainment for French across the whole school through:
- adapting and use the Kapow Programme of French across KS2.
- monitoring class and individual needs.
- assessing individual professional development opportunities and needs.
- monitoring and maintain high quality resources, including support from fluent French speakers.
- maintaining an overview of current trends and developments within the subject.
- ensuring an effective programme of moderation and assessments.
Monitoring and Evaluation
This policy will be reviewed by the head teacher, in consultation with the staff, as and when elements of French are identified or prioritised within the School Development Plan.
The policy was reviewed in : September 2025
The policy is to be reviewed in : September 2027