Languages
Intent
At Trinity CE Primary School we have a vision for our pupils to be curious, well-rounded individuals with enquiring minds and who celebrate the diversity of their neighbours. Language teaching at Trinity encompasses our school’s vision by encouraging pupils to be outward-looking; acting as a gateway to other cultures and deepening pupils’ understanding of the world around them and well as exciting their curiosity to find out more.
Language exposure begins in KS1, where children’s interest in foreign languages is first excited through school language days, assemblies and visitors and where pupils sing and answer the register in French, and other languages.
Formal language learning, which occurs in KS2 at Trinity, allows pupils to speak, read, write, listen and respond to others in French and we will do this through the Language Angels Scheme which offers a relevant, broad and ambitious foreign languages curriculum through the teaching of a variety of progressive topics.
The intent is that, through the language teaching we offer along with immersive days and activities, all pupils will develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages, finding them enjoyable and stimulating. In our increasingly culturally diverse school and wider community, learning a second language will also offer pupils the opportunity to explore relationships between language and identity, developing a deeper awareness of self, others and cultural differences. The intention is that they will be working towards becoming life-long language learners.
Implementation
Whole School
- Children will all take part in a Trinity Day of Languages. This will involve each class finding out about a different country and language and learning some phrases in that language to share with the school at a special Day of Languages Assembly. Each class will celebrate the languages spoken by children in that class and visitors from the local community will be invited in to school to share their language and culture. Children will be encouraged to dress in traditional dress of a different country or in colours representing another country’s flag.
- There will be a languages display board for children to enjoy looking at words and phrases linked to their learning and activities in classes.
- Children may have the opportunity to sing in different languages in assemblies.
- Languages Lead Teacher has established connections with local secondary school for support and to make languages learning at Trinity build meaningfully towards the KS3 offering at Gillotts Secondary School (where the majority of Trinity pupils move on to.)
Key Stage 2
- All classes in KS2 will have access to a high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources. This will progressively develop pupil skills in foreign languages through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons which will be delivered by class teachers or HTLAs.
- Units will include a balance of speaking and listening and writing and reading.
- The long term plan of units will be reviewed annually to ensure the most effective curriculum for the school based on previous learning and as new units are incorporated into the scheme.
- Classrooms will often have a display of vocabulary from their current French topic.
- Class teachers, where they are not the main French teacher, will be aware of the topic their class is learning and will offer supplementary learning tasks in between lessons, such as songs, raps, French phrase registration and stories.
- Children have the opportunity to join a lunch time French Club from an expert external provider.
Key Stage 1
- Classes in KS1 will be introduced to language learning through the whole school activities and also activities such as language registration, songs in French and stories in French.
- Children who speak additional languages are celebrated in class and encouraged to share their language. Sometimes greetings in all the class’s home languages are displayed on doors or in classrooms.
Staff Training
- Languages Lead Teacher will take opportunities to engage in training, by enrolling on courses offered by Oxfordshire and by Language Angels.
- Languages Lead will direct teachers who will be delivering the new Language Angels Scheme to training available through their website.
Impact
As a result of our Languages curriculum at Trinity CE Primary School you will see:
- A school community where differences in culture and language are included and celebrated.
- Children who are aware of cultures outside of their own.
- Children who are excited and confident to speak other languages.
- Teaching and learning being monitored through discussions, looking at pupils’ work, recordings and observations.
- Over the next few years, we will see children who are progressively more competent and confident at communicating in French as they move up through KS2.
- Over the next few months, we will see the Language Angels Scheme embedded in our wider curriculum and teachers who are more confident in speaking in French with their pupils and who will know what the pupils in their classes are learning and have learnt.
Subject lead: Anna Woolfson