At West Yarner we recognise the importance of teaching a Modern Foreign language in a fast changing diverse world and we believe that learning another language has a positive impact on the child’s development. It helps the children to:
- develop memory and decoding skills
- develop confidence and creative thinking
- understand the importance of communication in another language
- expand cultural understanding
The ability to understand and communicate in another language is a lifelong skill for education, employment and leisure in this country and throughout the world.
At West Yarner we follow the National Curriculum for Languages, selecting French as our chosen language.
The majority of our children are working significantly below their age related expectations in Writing and Reading English and therefore find it difficult to engage with learning a foreign language. Upon joining our school, we assess the child’s needs and abilities on entry, closely communicating with the previous school and make an informed decision on whether to build French into the child’s timetable. We regularly reassess the child’s progress and review the timetables to meet the child’s needs.