Modern Foreign Languages
French
Our aims
At Scotton Lingerfield Primary School, we want children to enjoy learning another language and feel confident having a go. Through French, they learn to communicate in new ways, recognise language patterns and develop an understanding of cultures beyond their own.
Learning a language encourages children to listen carefully, practise unfamiliar sounds and explore how words and sentences work. We want them to be curious about similarities and differences between languages and respectful of the people who speak them.
Our curriculum provides a foundation for further language learning at secondary school, developing both practical communication skills and strategies children can use when encountering a new language.
How we teach French
French is taught in Key Stage 2 through a two-year rolling programme for our mixed-age classes. Learning brings together listening, speaking, reading and writing, supported by the progressive teaching of French sounds, vocabulary and grammar.
Children begin with familiar words and phrases, then learn to adapt and combine them to express their own ideas. Regular opportunities to revisit previous learning help them remember vocabulary and use it in different contexts.
Songs, rhymes, stories, partner conversations and role-play make language learning purposeful and enjoyable. Children practise situations such as introducing themselves, shopping for food, ordering in a restaurant and asking for directions.
Teachers model pronunciation and give children opportunities to rehearse before speaking more independently. Written models, word cards and bilingual dictionaries support children as they learn to construct their own phrases and sentences.
Building knowledge and skills across ages and stages
In Reception and Key Stage 1, children are introduced to simple greetings from around the world as part of our wider curriculum. This encourages an early interest in languages and helps children recognise that people communicate in different ways. Formal French teaching begins in Year 3.
In Years 3 and 4, children learn to greet others, introduce themselves and ask and answer simple questions. Topics include birthdays, food, shopping, colours and animals. They develop their understanding of numbers and dates, express simple preferences and take part in short conversations and role-plays.
Children begin to connect French sounds with their written forms, noticing pronunciation patterns and differences from English. They read familiar words and short texts, using pictures, context and similarities between languages to help them understand. Early grammar introduces masculine and feminine nouns, articles and adjective agreement. Writing develops from individual words and short phrases towards simple sentences supported by models.
In Years 5 and 6, children build on these foundations through topics including families, descriptions, weather, transport, homes and towns. They ask and answer a wider range of questions, develop longer sentences and give reasons for their opinions. Presentations and role-play provide opportunities to draw together language from previous topics, including delivering a weather report and giving directions.
Reading develops through short authentic texts, with children identifying key information and using their knowledge of vocabulary, grammar and context to work out unfamiliar meanings. They become more confident using bilingual dictionaries and adapting familiar sentence patterns to write their own descriptions and short texts. Grammar develops through work on pronouns, verb forms, prepositions and the agreement of adjectives with nouns. Pronunciation becomes increasingly accurate as children apply their understanding of French sounds and spelling patterns.
Developing confidence and cultural understanding
Throughout their learning, children explore aspects of French life, including landmarks, food and celebrations. They compare these with their own experiences, developing an appreciation of both shared interests and cultural differences.
We encourage children to use what they already know, look for clues and try out language without worrying about getting everything right immediately. Rehearsal and repetition help them become more confident, while opportunities to adapt familiar language develop increasing independence.
By the end of Year 6, we want children to understand and communicate simple information in spoken and written French, approach unfamiliar language with curiosity and feel ready to continue learning languages at secondary school.
