Great Massingham and Harpley C of E Federation Languages Policy
Our Vision
Through a positive caring environment, we provide the opportunity for every child to reach their full potential. We embrace Christian values and ensure all children are ready for their next steps.
Aims and objectives
Studying a language in primary school provides children with skills that are essential for the twenty-first century. As well as giving them the opportunity to learn other languages, an increasingly important skill in our globalised society, it also helps to promote and develop a broader intercultural understanding. The study of other languages also supports children’s literacy and oracy in school, by raising awareness of aspects of their own language(s), thereby enriching their understanding of both. Our aim, which is at the heart of the programme of study for KS2, is to develop an enthusiastic and positive attitude to other languages and language learning. We hope to encourage a life-long learning of languages among our pupils in order to enhance their understanding of the world and their future economic well-being. Our main objective in the teaching of a modern foreign language at primary school is to promote the early development of linguistic competence and an understanding of other cultures. We believe that to accomplish this, we should help the children to do all of the following: • familiarise themselves with the sounds and written form of a modern foreign language; • begin to understand a new language, and communicate in it; • make comparisons between languages; • learn about different countries and their people, and work with materials from different countries and communities, thus increasing their awareness of other cultures; • develop a positive attitude towards the learning of foreign languages in general; • use their knowledge of the foreign language with growing confidence, both to understand what they hear and read, and to express themselves in different ways; • acquire, through all of the above, a sound basis for further study at Key Stage 3 and beyond. The National Curriculum states that : Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. (The National Curriculum in England , Key stages One and Two Framework Document, September 2013.) At Great Massingham and Harpley, French is taught at Key Stage 2 . French is taught because it is the agreed high school transition language within the cluster.
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 writing in the language studied. (The National Curriculum in England , Key stages One and Two Framework Document, September 2013.)
Teaching and learning style
A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. (The National Curriculum in England , Key stages One and Two Framework Document, September 2013.) We make languages an enjoyable learning experience. We encourage children to participate in a variety of experiences through which we aim to build up the confidence of all children. To this end, all pupils in KS2 learn languages for no less than 30 minutes per week. This time is made up of a combination of dedicated language lessons, cross-curricular approaches and using language for real purposes in daily classroom routines. Our teaching focuses on developing pupil’s skills and confidence in understanding, reading, speaking and writing in Spanish and French. Through practical opportunities, children learn to communicate for practical purposes and in a wide variety of situations involving different interactions and audiences. We teach pupils to read and understand text as well as the spoken word so as to prepare pupils for learning further languages later on.
Languages curriculum planning
At EYFS and Key Stage One, pupils learn about other cultures through the breadth of their topic work. They learn about other cultures, their traditions and practices through a variety of practical ways which include learning phrases and songs in other languages. At Key Stage Two, our federation uses the national curriculum for languages as the basis for its curriculum planning. While there are opportunities for children of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each teaching unit, the progression planned into the scheme of work means that the children are increasingly challenged as they move through both lower and then upper Key Stage Two. In year six, pupils are also given opportunities for consolidation of their Languages skills as they prepare to transition to Key Stage Three.
Assessment for learning
Children demonstrate their ability in languages in a variety of different ways. Teachers will assess children’s work in languages by making informal judgements as they observe them during lessons. On completion of a piece of work, the teacher assesses the work and gives oral or written feedback as necessary to inform future progress. Older pupils are encouraged to make judgements about how they can improve their own work. At the end of a unit of work, the teacher makes a summary judgement about the work of each pupil in relation to the National Curriculum, and records these grades. Resources We use a wide variety of resources to teach Spanish and French. These are kept in the Key Stage Two classrooms.
Roles and Responsibilities
The subject is led by the subject leader. Standards of teaching and learning will be judged using work sampling, lesson observations, pupil voice and data review. The subject leader will report to the SLT and Governors via a subject action plan which will be reflected in the School SEF and SIDP.
Formally adopted by the Governing Board On Chair of Governors To be renewed October 2021
