Learning a modern foreign language is important because:

• Through the study of a foreign language, pupils understand and appreciate different countries, cultures, people and communities – and as they do so, begin to think of themselves as citizens of the world as well as of the United Kingdom.  
• Pupils also learn about the basic structures of language. They explore the similarities and differences between the foreign language they are learning and English or another language, and learn how language can be manipulated and applied in different ways.  
• Their listening, reading and memory skills improve, and their speaking and writing become more accurate.
• The development of these skills, together with pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the structure of language, lay the foundations for future study of other languages.
• Competent speakers of another language communicate with people from other countries and cultures through speaking, listening, reading and writing.  

Here children learn French/Spanish by:

• Experiencing a planned and progressive Curriculum through programmes of study based on Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages

• Through active participation in a variety of games and singing activities. Emphasis is placed on developing good oral literacy skills particularly through the use of Storymaking

• Learning activities are broad and varied and appeal to childrens different learning stylesvisual, oral and kinaesthetic Children work both individually and sometimes collaboratively to perform dialogues and role plays in pairs/small groups  

Agreed approaches to teaching French:

• Children are taught in class groups
• All KS2 children are timetabled to one main lesson of about 45 minutes
• Children have other opportunities to practise French / Spaninsh throughout the week – through curriculum links, for example, mental maths, doing the register and responding to classroom instructions in French
• Children are taught by a native speaker and specialist teacher

We use a broad range of teaching resources from puppets to dvds. Our teaching is strongly based around Storymaking and songs. We use this approach for two reasons, firstly, it supports the children’s Oracy in both the target language and their own language and secondly, feedback from pupil interview tells us that that love it!