Intent

The intention of the Languages curriculum at Baston CE Primary School is to teach foreign languages in a very enjoyable and practical approach. Our children are curious about the world and different countries, so with offering both French and Spanish we provide a window that makes them aware of the cultural richness and the various possibilities that can be acquired with a new language.

Our curriculum also includes KS1, giving our pupils early skills that can be used progressively in KS2. In KS1, the children become familiar with new sounds and start creating a bank of ideas of useful words for topics such as greetings, numbers, colours, fruits, animals, family and parts of the body, amongst others.

When our children start KS2, they already have some familiarity with languages and are ready to apply their previous knowledge to listening, speaking, reading and writing skills and thus consolidate not only their target language, but also foundations for future languages.

Implementation

Languages lessons take place once per week. Children are introduced to French language in Year 1 then Spanish in Year 2 - with basic instructions in the classroom, songs and varied games. Our children develop early language acquisition skills that facilitate their understanding of the target language and help them to compare this new language with English and any other native language. When the children find similarities and differences with their own languages, they are more able to identify language patterns and learn them more easily.

In KS2, the lessons support the skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, with a focus on French in Years 3 & 4, then Spanish in Years 5 & 6. Children are taught to listen attentively to spoken language and respond, joining in with song and games. 

Each new term we recap units previously learnt not just in the same year but also related knowledge from previous years and this is embedded throughout the lessons. This helps to reinforce the progressive learning from one year to the next one.

Impact

The impact of our languages curriculum can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes formative opportunities for teachers to assess pupils against the learning focus and any relevant scientific enquiry skills. Pupils' learning is also measured against a set of level descriptors to track progress across the school. SLT monitor the subject further through book scrutiny, pupil voice and learning walks.