A teacher reads from a book to her class

French at Carleton Endowed CE (VA) Primary School

Intent:

At Carleton Endowed Primary School we provide opportunities for each Key Stage 2 child to learn French, by developing skills in speaking, listening, writing and reading. 

We aim to: 

  • Help children to master a growing vocabulary of words linked to everyday topics
  • Help children to deploy this vocabulary in short conversations with peers and their teacher
  • Help children to write French words with accurate spelling, including in sentences
  • Help children to read and understand words, phrases and sentences in French, with pictorial support
  • Help children to understand aspects of culture linked to the French language

Implementation:

At Carleton Endowed Primary School we follow the Salut scheme of work. This allows children to be exposed to authentic French accents, and to learn vocabulary effectively through repetition and games. The scheme also emphasises accurate spelling in French, and gives children opportunities to engage in dialogues of increasing complexity. 

Children in Key Stage 2 have a 45 minute French lesson every week throughout the year. Each lesson is structured broadly as follows:

  • Revision of previously taught vocabulary from the unit Knowledge Organiser, and from Knowledge Organisers for previous units (5-10 minutes)
  • Teaching of new vocabulary, including speaking, listening, and spelling games (10-15 minutes)
  • Practising the new vocabulary in dialogues (10 minutes)
  • Practising the new vocabulary in written form (10 minutes)

Children begin each year by studying the same three Core Units that teach basic skills in French. In Year 3 these units will be studied in full. In Year 4, 5 and 6, teachers will use the Core Unit Knowledge Organisers and their professional judgement to assess how well these units have been mastered by children; they will revisit lessons from the Core Units as appropriate to ensure that children have a solid foundation for their French learning for the remainder of the year. 

When the class teacher feels the children have mastered the learning from the Core Units, they will progress onto the topic-based units which are assigned to their year group. Each of these units consists of 6 lessons, culminating in the reading of a story in French, with pictorial support. 

Children are given a Knowledge Organiser for each unit of work, which sets out the ‘non-negotiable’ vocabulary and dialogues that children should learn. These are reviewed at the start of each lesson, and Knowledge Organisers from previous units are regularly revisited throughout the year. 

Occasionally, we may use supplementary teaching resources. This may be in order to provide additional enrichment or variety (such as an opportunity to apply learning to a seasonal context), or to provide opportunities for extended dialogues or pieces of writing. In Spring 1 2022, children in all year groups began to undertake the Salut Core Units 1-3, in order to plug gaps in learning from the Covid pandemic, and to prepare them for their year-group-specific learning later in the year. Progress through the Core Units is at the discretion of the class teacher, with the expectation that children in UKS2 would progress through them more quickly than those in lower year groups. 

Impact:

At Carleton Endowed Primary School we aim that children continuously build their vocabulary in French, as well as their skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening. In order to ensure that children’s understanding of the curriculum is progressing, the French subject leader and the Senior Leadership Team will undertake monitoring and evaluation to ascertain the following: 

  • That the Salut scheme of work is being followed and that all parts of the lesson are being delivered at the appropriate level for the age of the children, including speaking and writing activities, and the use of Knowledge Organisers to support over-learning of vocabulary
  • That children are developing an age-appropriate vocabulary and skills in French
  • That the training needs of teachers are being met, through occasional CPD or more targeted support when required. 

This monitoring and evaluation may take the form of informal drop-ins to music lessons, or conversations with pupils and teachers. 

In order to determine whether children’s skills and vocabulary are developing in line with the curriculum, children will undertake Knowledge Checks following each unit of work, at 2, 6 and 12 weeks following the completion of the unit. Scores obtained in these tests will be monitored by class teachers, who will provide opportunities for revisiting previous work where needed.