Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries. (National Curriculum 2014)

At Foxdell, we teach French to all our KS2 children as part of the National Curriculum. We believe that a Modern Foreign Language (MFL) prepares pupils to participate in a rapidly changing world in which work and other activities are often carried out in languages other than English. Through speaking and listening activities, games and written exercises, children are encouraged to listen to and join in with conversations, develop accurate pronunciation, use simple sentences with increasing accuracy and broaden their vocabulary and ability to understand new words. 

We use the 'Rigolo' scheme of work to teach French. We follow 'la famille Mils' who are an English family living in France. This resource is supplemented with high quality games, stories and songs to support our French learning. The Rigolo programme of study is in line with the requirements of the National Curriculum. Following the Rigolo programme, our children study six units in each year group; twenty four in total over their four years at Foxdell. Each unit and each new year aims to build on the knowledge from the previous. The units include learning about countries, cultures, peoples and communities.

During French lessons, children are encouraged to ‘join in and have a go’, making lessons interactive, enjoyable and engaging. The children are taught to know and understand how to:

· Ask and answer questions;

· Use correct pronunciation and intonation;

· Interpret meaning;

· Work in pairs and groups, and communicate in French

· Look at life in another culture.

During French lessons, children are given the opportunity to work as a class, as individuals and as part of a group. The choice of class organisation is determined by the learning task. By its nature MFL will involve lots of interaction with visual, auditory and kinaesthetic prompts. There is a balanced coverage of speaking and listening, reading and writing activities starting from year 3.

Language of the Half Term

In addition to French, all children and staff learn a new language each half term as part of our 'Language of the half term' programme. We have chosen to deliver a language programme to celebrate our diverse community and the many languages that are spoken at Foxdell. We launch languages every September on the European Day of Languages.