German

At Leighton Academy, we aim to develop children's understanding as global citizens and offer the opportunity to learn about other cultures through teaching the German language. The children develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills throughout their years of learning German.

At Leighton German learning begins in nursery using cross-curricular link in EYFS and KS1. This prepares them for the Goethe Institut Planning; Felix and Franzi in Year 3 & 4 and Karla and Kai in Years 5 & 6. 

Intent – What are we trying to achieve with our German curriculum?

‘Languages are an essential part of a broad, balanced curriculum. Not only do they provide an opportunity to communicate more effectively with others, they also help children to understand what it is to be a global citizen. This includes the importance of tolerance and understanding, which is crucial knowledge in today’s world.’ (OFSTED, 2021)

In German at Leighton, our programme is based on Goethe Institut Planning.  This allows children the freedom to explore their social and cultural development. Children develop knowledge and understanding of a range of German Culture. Our German curriculum aims to develop language literacy through the use of different skill areas including speaking, listening, reading and writing. 

Implementation – How do we deliver our German curriculum?

The curriculum is implemented differently across the Key Stages to reflect the needs of the children:

-In EYFS and KS1 German learning is linked with other curriculum areas. We understand that children learn languages best when taught little but often. German is used daily within the register, daily greetings and asking for fruit. 

-In KS2, children build on prior learning by following the National Curriculum supported by Goethe Insitut scheme of work alongside daily greetings similarly to EYFS and KS1. 

Children at Leighton Academy:

• Introduce young children to another language in a way that is enjoyable and fun.
• Enable children to use their knowledge of the language with confidence to understand, speak, read and write
• Help develop awareness of another country and another culture
• Express simple ideas with clarity using sentences and appropriate punctuation
• Learn poems and songs
• Understand and use basic grammar
• Foster an interest in learning other languages by laying the foundations for future study

Impact – What difference is our curriculum making to our pupils

• Assessment of German should be meaningful and support monitoring and tracking of pupils over time.
• Children will have a stronger awareness of the world around them.
• Children  will see the benefit of learning another language and enjoy their German learning. 
• Children will be prepared for future language learning.

Please have a look at the short film below which gives a real flavour of the work the children undertake and the fun they have learning German!

Leighton is to be seen after 29 minutes.