At St. Andrew’s we aim to develop a love of language learning within every child. Our approach is to teach the skills needed to understand a new language including new vocabulary, grammar and cultural differences, as well as to encourage the ability to see links and bonds between the many languages and cultures in the school. Learning a foreign language helps to inform our understanding of the world around us. It can also strengthen areas of a child’s development such as oracy, by prioritising speaking and listening, and regularly involving shared discussion and class presentation.
We teach French at St. Andrew’s and each lesson aims to provide a safe space for a child to experiment and take risks when attempting to communicate in French, valuing everyone’s contribution, and encouraging an overall sense of belonging. We use the Early Start French SoW across the school. Whilst teaching a language is only statutory in KS2, at St. Andrew’s we begin teaching elements of the curriculum in EYFS and KS1 including simple French songs and rhymes.