French is taught at Springfield as children can easily recognise cognates and root words from English. It is also one of the official languages used by the United Nations, as well as the official or co-official language in 29 countries worldwide. Later in life, our children may have the opportunity to use their acquired language skills in real-life situations, either when travelling or in their chosen careers.

What is our aim with Foreign Languages at Springfield? (Intent)

At Springfield, we are lucky to have so many children already able to speak two or more languages. In school, we celebrate these languages our pupils speak at home and encourage them to share them with their peers. Being able to speak another language and understand different cultures is more beneficial now than it has been for a generation. The foreign languages curriculum at Springfield has been designed to allow all children to develop a positive attitude towards the learning of languages and to promote an early development of linguistic competence in a way that is stimulating and enjoyable. Children are given the opportunity to develop their skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening through French, as well as to build their knowledge of how the language works and is structured. They also build their knowledge of traditions and cultures in countries of the French-speaking world.
 
What does this look like in our classrooms? (Implementation)

The children of Springfield develop their language skills through weekly French lessons in which they develop their love of language learning and progressively acquire, use and apply an increasing bank of vocabulary, phonics and grammar. Springfield uses ‘The Primary French Project’ scheme of work, adapted where necessary to meet the needs of our children. To cater to a variety of learning styles, French lessons are made as interactive as possible using games, roleplay, songs, stories, and rhymes to help the children learn. We also, at Springfield, have a language of the month to help us to celebrate the languages our children speak at home. This gives our language of the month children the opportunity to share their knowledge and culture with the rest of the school.

Within French sessions we aim to support pupils by:

• Promoting pupil voice.
• Providing a diverse and creative curriculum which addresses the needs of all.
• Building aspiration by creating opportunities for children to have wider experiences and making links to real-life contexts.

What are the outcomes for learners? (Impact)

Through the high-quality teaching of French, we aim to ensure our children recognise the relevance of learning an additional language for their future and to encourage our pupils to continue to pursue an enjoyment of language learning as they move into a secondary school setting. We will see the impact of the subject in the following ways:

• Children will become aware that a language has a structure and that the structure differs from one language to another.
• Children will gain a better understanding of other cultures and the wider world, ready to be explored outside their local community. This helps pupils to broaden their horizons and be open to opportunities to travel.
• Children will enrich their language learning by developing an understanding of culture in French-speaking countries.
• All children will take part in FL lessons, including EAL and SEND pupils.
• Children will transfer to KS3 effectively, successfully and will be well-prepared to continue and develop their language skills.