French

Through our teaching of Languages at Manadon Vale, we aim to:

• Ensure every child has the opportunity throughout Key Stage 2, to study a foreign language and develop their interest in the culture of other nations
• Ensure pupils’ learning is enriched in a broad curriculum to which languages contribute
• Provide language teaching informed by the 5 ECM outcomes – Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Cultural Understanding
• Ensure pupils have access to high quality teaching and learning opportunities, through the use of EuroStars

Reasons for learning languages:

• recent studies show a positive correlation between second language learning and academic achievement (Steele et al, (2015)
• language learners develop the ability to communicate with greater self-awareness and confidence
• learning a new language at a young age can provide children with strategies to help them learn other languages in the future
• gives us significant transferable skills, as it reinforces our linguistic competence and the use of grammar and syntax
• can help children develop good memory skills, along with decoding and analytical skills
• learning a language is challenging; children develop their resilience
• leads to a measurable improvement in our attention capacity (Vega-Mendoza et al, 2015, Cognition)
• helps to develop our awareness and understanding of different cultures: young people need to become culturally agile, ready for the mobile and global jobs of the future