Modern Foreign Languages

In our school we teach a foreign language to all Reception and J 1-6 children as part of the normal school curriculum.  We do this for several reasons.  Firstly, we believe that many children really enjoy learning to speak another language.  Secondly, we believe that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language in question is acquired.  We also believe that it is a good idea to introduce a new language to children when they are at primary school, as they tend to be less self-conscious about speaking aloud at this stage of their development.  It is widely thought that the early acquisition of a foreign language facilitates the learning of other foreign languages later in life.   

The main objective of teaching a modern foreign language in primary school is to promote the early development of a child’s linguistic competence. We also want to: 

• foster an interest in learning other languages;
• introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable;
• make young children aware that language has structure, and that the structure differs from one language to another;
• help children develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries;
• develop their speaking and listening skills;
• introduce Spanish into J6.
• lay the foundations for future study.
• introduce senior expertise in the Junior years, as a link for senior school years.

Teaching and learning style

Especially for the younger pupils, oral French is used. We use a variety of techniques to encourage the children to engage actively in the modern foreign language: these include games, role-play and songs (particularly action songs). We often use puppets and soft toys to demonstrate the foreign language, and we also invite native speakers into the classroom, in order to expose the children to more than one voice in the foreign language. We frequently use mime or visual aids to accompany new vocabulary in the foreign language, as this teaches the language without the need for translation.

We emphasise the listening and speaking skills over the reading and writing skills. We also use a multi-sensory and kinaesthetic approach to teaching, i.e. we try to introduce a physical element into some of the games, as we believe that this serves to reinforce memory.

We make the lessons as entertaining and enjoyable as possible, as we realise that this approach serves to develop a positive attitude in the children to the learning of modern foreign languages. We build children’s confidence through constant praise for any contribution they make in the foreign language, however tentative.

Organisation

We teach a foreign language to pupils in Reception – J2 children for two sessions of 15 minutes a week.  For J3/J4/J5 this is two sessions of 30/40 minutes each. In J6 we offer a French lesson and a Spanish lesson weekly of 50 minutes each.

A subject specialist usually teaches the foreign language, unless the normal class teacher is a subject specialist too ( Jess Morriss ). We also try to involve a native speaker of the foreign language, by using a French assistant if possible.