Our curriculum vision, framed by the statement ‘Believe and Achieve’, is centred on the development of the whole child; head, heart and hand. During our weekly language lessons in Key Stage Two children learn about life in France and other French speaking countries, developing their intercultural understanding of traditions, food and other customs. We believe that learning a language is a vital skill and prepares children for their future as global citizens. Research has shown that language learning encourages empathy. Children are encouraged to listen carefully and repeat vocabulary using games, songs and film clips. They are then introduced to the vocabulary in writing and encouraged to use this vocabulary both orally and in writing using reference materials. Over time children are encouraged to write familiar words from memory and using their phonological and grammatical knowledge. Children’s knowledge builds over time following the language ladder steps. Children are introduced to stories, plays and poems in French and perform these either as a class or in groups.
Children take part in a French day and are encouraged to order their breakfast in French and to make cross curricular links by looking at French artists, history and famous landmarks. During the afternoon they take part in a carousel of activities including dance, games and playing boules. Members of the twinning association support us during this day and we are working towards developing a link with the school in Champagne-sur-Oise.