The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists AUTUMN 2025 The Linguist 25 FEATURES Academy Trust, a family of state schools in East England. Funded by the UK Department for Education (DfE), these cover French and Spanish for Key Stages 2-4 (ages 7-16) and German for Key Stages 3-4 (ages 11-16). Design considerations Oak's languages resources concentrate on the building blocks of language: vocabulary, phonics and grammar. To enable learners to construct their own sentences fluidly, high-frequency vocabulary, function words and phoneme- grapheme correspondences are a focus. This empowers pupils to communicate independently and creatively early on, rather than relying solely on rote-learnt phrases. Grammar is explicitly taught, as recommended by research, and introduced systematically. Pupils revisit and build on prior knowledge in structured ways. For example, the French grammar thread 'Nouns and Determiners' begins in Year 3 with basic singular forms, and expands to partitive articles and prepositions by secondary. This careful layering allows pupils to integrate prior learning with new content, deepening understanding over time. Our approach reflects influential models such as Sweller's Cognitive Load Theory, Mayer's Principles of Multimedia Learning and Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction. Languages live through the people who speak them, so it's important to showcase characters, places and texts from a range of countries and cultural backgrounds. In Oak's Spanish lessons, pupils encounter characters from Spain and Latin America; in French, they meet speakers from Europe, North Africa and the Caribbean; and in German, they learn about the experiences of people with Turkish and Polish heritage. This approach fosters cultural awareness and helps pupils appreciate the richness and global reach of the languages they study. A central aim of the national curriculum is for pupils to develop appreciation of writing in the languages they study. To support this, Oak materials include authentic texts, such as poems by Antonio Machado and Goethe, as well as non-fiction texts exploring topics like Oktoberfest, the French Resistance and human rights activism in Guatemala. Accompanying audio files recorded by native speakers help pupils tune in to authentic pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. To aid coherence and continuity, the resources are organised around 'threads': key areas of knowledge and skill that are built on over time. These include grammatical concepts, skills (e.g. reading comprehension, writing) and cultural understanding. The thread 'Questions', for instance, maps how pupils go from asking basic queries in primary school to more nuanced, extended exchanges at Key Stage 4. These threads help teachers to navigate the curriculum and dip in and out of the resources, using them for specific grammar points or cultural contexts. Making languages accessible for all Inclusion is non-negotiable. Oak lessons are designed with accessibility in mind – from the fonts and colour contrasts to the chunking of content into manageable learning cycles. Unnecessary visuals that might distract from learning are avoided. The resources support pupils with special educational needs (SEN) by incorporating frequent checks for understanding, clear modelling and revisiting of key vocabulary across contexts. We have removed age-specific year labels so that resources can be used flexibly, according to individual readiness rather than just by year group. By making these adaptable resources freely available, we hope to remove barriers to great teaching, support workload reduction and enable more pupils to experience the joy, purpose and power of learning another language. In doing so, we aim to nurture the next generation of confident, culturally curious linguists, empowered to participate fully in a connected world. HIGH WORKLOAD Lesson prep can be a time-consuming headache for time-poor teachers, especially those working in under- served communities a free online curriculum? n on their accessible resources inclusion IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

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