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Intent
St Patrick’s uses the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a relevant, broad, vibrant, and ambitious foreign languages curriculum. This curriculum aims to inspire and engage pupils through a wide range of topics and themes. All pupils will be encouraged to achieve their full potential by maintaining high expectations and excellent standards, with the ultimate goal that they feel confident and motivated to continue studying languages beyond Key Stage 2.
The intent is to ensure curriculum content is reviewed and updated annually, ensuring a dynamic and evolving programme of study that is clearly outlined in planning. This will ensure that pupils’ language knowledge progresses within each academic year and continues to develop across the primary phase, remaining relevant and meeting or exceeding national DfE requirements.
All four key language skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — will be taught, alongside age-appropriate grammar. Pupils will be supported to apply their learning in different contexts, providing a solid foundation for future language study and supporting progress across other subjects of the curriculum. Pupils will also learn strategies to research language they are unsure of, supported by a growing reference bank of materials. Over time, this will develop into a comprehensive reference library, enabling pupils to recall, consolidate, and build on previous knowledge throughout their primary language learning journey.
The curriculum is designed to foster genuine interest and curiosity in languages, making learning enjoyable and stimulating. Learning a foreign language (French) will also allow pupils to explore the relationship between language and identity, develop cultural understanding, and gain a deeper awareness of themselves and others. Ultimately, the intent is that pupils will be supported to become confident, enthusiastic, and lifelong language learners.
Implementation
All KS2 have access to a very high-quality foreign languages curriculum using the Language Angels scheme of work and resources (French). This will progressively develop pupil skills in foreign languages through regularly taught and well-planned weekly lessons in KS2.
Children progressively acquire, use and apply a growing bank of vocabulary, language skills and grammatical knowledge organised around age-appropriate topics and themes – building blocks of language into more complex, fluent and authentic language.
The planning of different levels of challenge (as demonstrated in the various Language Angels Teaching Type categories) and which units to teach at each stage of the academic year will be addressed dynamically and will be reviewed in detail annually as units are updated and added to the scheme. Lessons offering appropriate levels of challenge and stretch will be taught at all times to ensure pupils learn effectively, continuously building their knowledge of and enthusiasm for French.
Language Angels are categorised by ‘Teaching Type’ to make it easier for teachers to choose units that will offer the appropriate level of challenge and stretch for the classes they are teaching.
Early Language units are entry level units and are most appropriate for KS1 and Year 3 pupils or pupils with little or no previous foreign language learning. Intermediate units increase the level of challenge by increasing the amount and complexity (including foreign language grammar concepts) of the foreign language presented to pupils. Intermediate units are suitable for Year 4-5 pupils or pupils with embedded basic knowledge of the foreign language. Progressive and Creative Curriculum units are the most challenging units and are suitable for Year 6 pupils or pupils with a good understanding of the basics of the language they are learning. Grouping units into these Teaching Type categories ensures that the language taught is appropriate to the level of the class and introduced when the children are ready. Children will be taught how to listen and read longer pieces of text gradually in the foreign language and they will have ample opportunities to speak, listen to, read and write the language being taught with and without scaffolds, frames and varying levels of support.
Early Language Units (entry level) and Core Vocabulary lessons are designed to run for approximately 30 minutes. Intermediate, Progressive and Creative Curriculum units are designed to run for approximately 45 minutes.
Units, where possible and appropriate, will be linked to class topics and cross curricular themes. Children will build on previous knowledge gradually as their language lessons continue to recycle, revise and consolidate previously learnt language whilst building on all four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Knowledge and awareness of required and appropriate grammar concepts will be taught throughout all units at all levels of challenge. Teachers use a Progression Map and Grammar Grid to ensure all children are progressing their French language learning skills and are taught the appropriate grammar at the right time in their foreign language learning journey. Grammar rules and patterns will be taught by level of challenge:
Grammar is integrated and taught discreetly throughout all appropriate units. Teachers use the specific Grammar Explained units to ensure pupils are exposed to all of the appropriate grammar so they are able to create their own accurate and personalised responses to complex authentic foreign language questions by the end of the primary phase.
The Progression Map shows precisely how pupil foreign language learning across the key skills of speaking, listening, reading, writing and grammar progresses within each Language Angels ‘Teaching Type’ and also how the level of learning and progression of each pupil is increased as pupils move across each subsequently more challenging Language Angels ‘Teaching Type’. It is a visual demonstration of the progression that takes place within a ‘Teaching Type’ and also across each ‘Teaching Type’.
The school has a unit planner in place which will serve as an overall ‘teaching map’ outlining for all teachers within the school what each class in each year group will be taught and when it will be taught. Each class in each year group will have an overview of units to be taught during the academic year to ensure substantial progress and learning is achieved. Each teaching unit is divided into 6 fully planned lessons.
Units are progressive within themselves as subsequent lessons within a unit build on the language and knowledge taught in previous lessons. As pupils progress though the lessons in a unit they will build their knowledge and develop the complexity of the language they use. We think of the progression within the 6 lessons in a unit as ‘language Lego’. We provide blocks of language knowledge and, over the course of a 6-week unit, encourage pupils to build more complex and sophisticated language structures with their blocks of language knowledge.
Pupil learning and progression will be assessed in line with school policy. Teachers will assess each language skill (speaking, listening, reading and writing) at the end of each unit to be able to provide reference points against which learning and progression in each skill can be demonstrated.
In addition to following the lessons provided in the Language Angels scheme of work and resources, our enrichment and personal development offer extends to French. Through a range of lived and real experiences children are able to deepen their learning, understanding and appreciation for the language. These experiences include:
Impact
Pupils will continuously build on their previous knowledge as they progress in their foreign language learning journey through the primary phase. Previous language will be recycled, revised, recalled and consolidated whenever possible and appropriate.
Teachers will have a clear overview of what they are working towards and if they are meeting these criteria. The subject leader uses the long-term planning documents provided in the form of Language Angels unit planners to ensure the correct units are being taught to the correct classes at each stage of the scholastic year. Short-term planning is also provided in the form of unit overviews (covering the learning targets for each 6-week unit) and individual lesson plans laying out the learning aims and intentions of each individual lesson within a unit.
The opportunity to assess pupil learning and progression in the key language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) and against the 12 DfE Languages Programme of Study for Key Stage 2 attainment targets is provided at the end of each 6-week teaching unit. This information will be recorded and monitored by the Languages Subject Lead who can use this data to ensure teaching is targeted and appropriate for each pupil, class and year group as well as to feedback on progress to SLT and stakeholders.
If pupils are not progressing in line with expectations, this will be identified in the End of Unit Skills Assessments. This will enable teachers to address any areas that require attention in any of the language learning skills.
The impact of our French curriculum is best seen through the pupils’ engagement and outcomes. The standard of pupil’s work is consistently strong, and pupils show real enthusiasm when discussing and sharing their learning with others in the class and with adults across the school. Their confidence and readiness to use French in conversations with adults demonstrates the positive effect of high-quality teaching and a well-embedded curriculum.
