Hawkesley Church Primary Academy

Intent, Implementation, and Impact Statement for French (MFL)

Intent

At Hawkesley Church Primary Academy, our intent for teaching French (Modern Foreign Languages – MFL) at the primary level is to foster a passion for languages and an appreciation of cultural diversity among our students. We aim to develop the following objectives:

1. Linguistic Competence: We strive to ensure that all pupils attain a solid foundation in the French language, encompassing vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and the four key skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
2. Cultural Awareness: We seek to deepen students’ understanding of Francophone cultures and traditions, fostering respect and appreciation for diversity within the wider world.
3. Critical Thinking and Creativity: By engaging with the French language through interactive and innovative methods, we hope to stimulate critical thinking and creativity amongst our students, allowing them to express themselves confidently in a new language.
4. Confidence and Independence: We aim to cultivate confidence in using a foreign language, empowering pupils to communicate and collaborate with their peers and the French-speaking community.

Implementation

At Hawkesley, our French curriculum is designed to be engaging, comprehensive, and challenging, embodying best practices for language acquisition. We utilise the La Jolie Ronde language scheme as the foundation of our teaching strategy. Our strategies for effective implementation include:

1. Curriculum Design: We follow the National Curriculum guidelines, supported by the La Jolie Ronde scheme, ensuring our programme is progressive and sequenced thoughtfully. Topics are drawn from real-life contexts, integrating themes from the wider curriculum and enhancing cross-curricular links.
2. Interactive Learning: We employ the interactive and engaging resources provided by the La Jolie Ronde scheme, including games, songs, storytelling, and role-play, to create a rich learning environment. Pupils are encouraged to participate actively, fostering both individual and collaborative learning experiences.
3. Assessment for Learning: Ongoing formative assessment informs our practice, allowing us to adjust teaching strategies in response to students’ needs. Lesson success and termly assessments enable regular feedback, allowing pupils to reflect on their own learning and progress. Teachers use the information to identify learning gaps, these are addressed during ‘reteach weeks’.
4. Teacher Training and Resources: Our staff have access to ongoing professional development specifically focused on the delivery of MFL, and we utilise high-quality resources from this scheme to enhance teaching and learning.
5. Extracurricular Opportunities: We organise language clubs, cultural events, and other wider experiences/connections where possible, using themes and activities from the La Jolie Ronde scheme to enable students to engage with French in a variety of contexts beyond the classroom.

Impact

The impact of our French provision at Hawkesley is evident through a range of indicators:

1. Pupil Progress: Evidence from assessments shows that the majority of pupils achieve or exceed age-related expectations in French. A significant number of students demonstrate accelerated progress, indicating effective teaching and learning rooted in the La Jolie Ronde scheme.
2. Engagement and Enjoyment: Pupils express enthusiasm for learning French, with high levels of participation in lessons and extracurricular activities. Surveys and feedback indicate increased motivation and interest in languages overall, particularly because of the engaging La Jolie Ronde materials.
3. Cultural Understanding: Students articulate their understanding of French culture and its significance in a global context. Their awareness of diversity, tolerance, and respect for other cultures has been enhanced, preparing them to be global citizens.
4. Skill Application: Pupils exhibit confidence in using their French language skills in practical situations, engaging in basic conversations and understanding cultural contexts when appropriate. They demonstrate readiness to pursue languages further in secondary education.
5. Community Connections: Through interactions with local French-speaking communities and involvement in cultural events, students apply their language skills in authentic settings, reinforcing their learning and enhancing community ties.

Learning another language prepares our children for life in modern Britain; in which work and activities increasingly involve using languages other than English. We aim to foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of both the world around them and their own language and allowing the children to ‘let their light shine’ Matthew 5:16.