‘One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way.’

Frank Smith

Our aim at High Halden Primary School is to equip all children that leave our school with the skills they need to enjoy success and flourish in the wider world. In an increasingly globalised world, learning a modern foreign language develops the number of opportunities for children and enables them to make connections with different people and cultures. 

The core language taught at High Halden Primary School is French. It is the intention that all children in KS2 will access first quality teaching of French by their class teacher in order to adequately prepare them for KS3. 

Children have weekly lessons in French throughout Key Stage 2, using the Kapow programme of study.  Areas covered include: numbers, colours, house and home, in town, food and drink, the classroom, clothes and hobbies.  Kapow Primary’s French scheme of work has been designed as a spiral curriculum with the following key principles in mind:

• Cyclical: Pupils revisit key vocabulary and grammar concepts again and again  
• Increasing depth: Each time vocabulary or grammar learning is revisited, it is covered with greater depth
• Prior knowledge: Upon returning to each area, prior knowledge is utilised so pupils can build on previous foundations, rather than starting again

Working together with partner schools, children are provided with a variety of extra curricular activities to promote their engagement in the subject as well as providing them with the knowledge and skills necessary, to continue their studies successfully in further education. 

At the end of Key Stage 2, children are given the opportunity to visit a French picnic, facilitated at a local secondary school, to apply the language skills they have learned and immerse themselves in a different language and culture. 

Pupil Voice is also used to further enhance the MFL curriculum, through questioning of pupils' views and attitudes to learning a language. As a result of this, an annual ‘Day of Languages’ is held to further expose children to languages within a variety of contexts - enabling children to apply their skills in 'real world' situations.