As learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures, the purpose of our high-quality languages curriculum at Shotley Bridge Primary School is to foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We are proud that the language curriculum that we offer provides the foundation for further language study, learning further languages and equips our pupils will skills necessary for future study and work in other countries.
French is taught throughout KS2 at Shotley Bridge Primary School. The high-quality lessons that are taught focus on communication, both spoken and written. We ensure children can communicate their ideas, facts and feelings for practical purposes in speech and writing, focussing on familiar routine matters. Children are also able to understand and respond to French speakers and are given opportunities to read great literature in the French language. We encourage children to use their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary wherever possible. Teachers plan high-quality lessons that ensure children develop their speaking and listening skills in a range of ways: listening to stories and poems; singing songs and rhymes; asking and answering questions; speaking in sentences; preparing and presenting short presentations to a range of audiences; using dictionaries to aid understanding; writing phrases from memory and using this information to create new sentences; reading a range of material; creating descriptions of people, places things and actions orally and in writing.
Our languages programme of study is set out year-by-year in KS2 however children have opportunities to learn basic words and phrases in KS1. Curriculum maps for skills taught are sent home termly. Our languages curriculum is enriched by rich, diverse experiences across the whole school (e.g. Skiing trip to France; after school French clubs with the subject coordinator; French cafes). Language skills are assessed by the teacher throughout each unit. Teachers use this information, as well as ongoing assessments of pupils’ understanding, to ensure that any misconceptions are addressed and all children are prepared for the next stage of learning. At Shotley Bridge Primary School we understand that It is vital for children to develop a secure understanding of each key block of knowledge and concepts in order to progress to the next stage.
The languages subject coordinator monitors the subject closely in Shotley Bridge Primary School to ensure children are working at a high standard: book and planning scrutinies, learning walks, lesson observations, evaluation of school data compared to national standards, attending local authority network meetings and courses to ensure they stay abreast of best practice, and leading whole-school training for staff members, form a part of this.
