Modern Foreign Languages at Selwyn
Mandarin
At Selwyn, Mandarin is taught across KS1 to KS2; to students in Years 2- 6 by specialist Mandarin teachers. Our intent is to fire pupils’ curiosity to gain a knowledge and understanding of the language of another culture and in turn offer them a comparison of their own. We aim to equip students with basic communication skills in Mandarin through immersive activities like songs, games, and stories, focusing on building vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural understanding while fostering confidence in speaking and listening, with a gradual introduction to reading and writing Chinese characters. All while developing an appreciation for Chinese culture through themed lessons and celebrations; ultimately enabling children to engage with the language in everyday situations and broaden their global perspective.
British Sign Language
As we are the Resourced Provision for primary aged deaf children in Newham, it is important to us that we provide opportunities for all of our children to develop their communication skills alongside one another. The approach that we take with our children is Total Communication which is a mixture of speech, sign and visual aids.
Children from Reception to Year 6 have a weekly BSL assembly from which they are introduced to new signs such as greetings or topical words linked to whole school learning. We also use images of key signs around the classrooms and the school’s communal areas such as labels for learning walls and different feelings signs to support children to communicate their emotions.