French at Hollyfast Primary School

Vision

At Hollyfast, we believe learning a new language is an invaluable life skill that encourages children to discover something new, deepen their understanding of the world. At our school, we will aim to make learning French enjoyable and meaningful. It will give children the knowledge, skills and vocabulary necessary for them to develop their confidence and understanding of learning a new language to enable them to achieve well both within our school, and across future educational settings. A carefully sequenced curriculum will enable the children to acquire new knowledge, vocabulary and skills, whilst developing their prior knowledge. Throughout KS2, children will become more knowledgeable and confident, resulting in them flourishing in French. By demonstrating our school values of Excellence and Courage, as well as applying self-regulation learning strategies, children at our school will continue to develop as linguists, building their confidence with speaking, reading, listening and writing in French. 

Our Approach

At Hollyfast, we follow the Rigolo scheme. Designed as a KS2 approach to teaching French, Rigolo is a comprehensive and highly interactive scheme which meets all statutory National Curriculum MFL requirements.

 All teachers from Years 3 to 6 use the Rigolo scheme of work to guide their teaching, and can supplement this with their own ideas and experience and those of their colleagues. The lessons are designed to motivate and captivate children from the first moment. Lessons have clear, achievable objectives and incorporate different learning styles. SEN children have access to the curriculum through variation of task, grouping or support from an adult. Medium Term Plans outline which units are covered each term. Each lesson focuses on a combination of the five key language-learning skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar. Lessons include the following:

· Recap of vocab – this is to ensure children are receiving frequent exposure to key vocabulary and opportunities to recall.

· Interactive Lesson resources, which include videos, songs, animated games and activities to encourage whole-class engagement. These resources also include a Virtual Teacher feature to support primary teachers who lack confidence or practice in French.

· An effective mix of oracy, reading, writing and listening, in the form of worksheets, songs or activities, related to the lesson input. These give children a breadth of skills and experience outlined in the National Curriculum.

Clear expectations have been set out to ensure consistency throughout KS2 French teaching, driving effective pedagogy.

French (KS2 only) is taught discreetly for approximately 45 minutes each week. Whilst practical learning is encouraged, children also record their learning in their individual French books.

The scheme nurtures children to be confident and successful, increasing their capacity to learn and preparing them for the challenges of the modern world whilst providing them with opportunities to develop their emotional intelligence and life skills.

Rigolo consists of six half-term units of work each containing approximately six lessons covering each academic year.