French Leader: Mrs Palmer

What do we want our children to achieve from our French curriculum?

Our intent is to provide all of our KS2 children with a quality education in Modern Foreign Languages that helps them to develop a love of learning about other languages and cultures whilst providing a wider understanding of the world. We also aim to build on children’s ‘cultural capital’ so that children develop a knowledge and understanding of the rich diversity between cultures in our community, the UK and wider world. Children in KS2 are taught French following a progressive and comprehensive scheme of work. The ultimate aim is that pupils will feel confident engaging in spoken French, develop skills in reading, listening and writing, and know how important languages will be in their future. We hope that all pupils will develop a genuine interest and curiosity about languages, finding them enjoyable and exciting and show a desire to continue their language learning past KS2.

How do we ensure that this happens?

MFL plays an integral part in supporting literacy across the school. Learning a foreign language requires children to understand and get to grips with the grammar – the mechanics – of a language. This, in turn, supports them in writing and speaking at a calibre much higher than they had previously been able to. 

MFL is not taught during the Early Years and Key Stage 1. However, the fundamental building blocks for success in learning languages – such as phonemic awareness, language-rich environments, a love of learning and access to high-quality spoken language – are embedded throughout the curriculum.

We teach French across KS2. The school uses the Rachel Hawkes scheme of work to support the teaching of French. This provides a clear progression for the development of speaking and listening and vocabulary acquisition. There are resources to support the teaching and learning opportunities for the children in KS2.