Intent​

At Rattlesden School, all children in Key Stage 2 learn French. Our aim is to foster a love of language learning that will inspire children to continue studying this subject beyond primary school. We encourage curiosity about other languages and cultures to help develop an understanding of the world and respect for the diversity within it. 

Implementation

French is taught weekly using the Kapow scheme of work, which focuses on practical communication. Children learn through topics about family, school and everyday life, and are taught in year groups, rather than classes, to enable them to make significant progress.  They build knowledge step by step in phonics, vocabulary and grammar and this is applied to listening, reading, speaking and writing activities.

Lessons are active and engaging, using games, songs, stories, role-play, technology and language detective tasks. Teachers adapt lessons to support and challenge all learners, including pupils with SEND. Key vocabulary is displayed in classrooms alongside visual images, and children keep vocabulary books from Year 3 onwards. While some work is recorded in exercise books, much learning is done orally to build confidence and develop pronunciation.

We are lucky to have links with a French school in Boulogne-Sur-Mer, giving pupils opportunities to read and write for a real purpose and learn about life in another country.

Additionally, children develop their intercultural understanding and appreciation of diversity through whole school celebrations of world festivals and events, such as European Day of Languages and activities like a Year 6 French café. These activities also serve to expose and introduce children in KS1 and EYFS, who do not have formal language lessons, to different languages and cultures. 

Impact

Most importantly, we want children to enjoy learning languages, value its importance and the role it plays in developing a deeper understanding of other cultures, and leave us ready to continue their language learning at secondary school. 

French Day 2024
Our Year 6 children led activities to help embed some of the key vocabulary of French.  There was also food tasting and learning a French songs, which we sung in collective worship.  Each class got to visit throughout the day.

​Cafe au Rattlesden!

​What superb Year 6 waiters!!

European Day of Languages September 

Each class chose a language to learn throughout the week and shared it with the school on the Friday.  The children came dressed in either the flag colour or wearing something associated with that country.  We challenged the children to get creative and make a model of the Eiffel Tower or a European flag.  

We have French pen pals in Boulogne-Sur-Mer which we write to a few times a year.

Rattlesden welcomed two teachers from a school in Boulogne in France. They shared stories and songs with the children and taught some French to the older pupils.

Online Resources to use at home:
www.duolingo.com
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z39d7ty 
https://www.french-games.net/