French

The main objective of teaching a modern foreign language in primary school is to promote the early development of a child’s linguistic competence, fostering a curiosity and interest in learning other languages in order to lay the foundations for future MFL study at KS3 and beyond.

As a result of our MFL curriculum, learners will develop an understanding of the use of another language to communicate in a variety of different ways. They will also gain an understanding of how communication is influenced by time, place and cultural context as well as purpose.

Children will be able to express themselves, their thoughts and their ideas in French and use their learning in order to communicate through conversational exchanges. They will learn to speak with increasing confidence and fluency, finding ways of communicating what they want to say through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation

Teaching and learning in French is enriched by our focus on international learning. International mindedness is inherent to language learning, as learners are required to recognise cultural context and demonstrate respect for the traditions and culture of places where the language is spoken and used.

Our aspiration is that children become interested in learning another language in order to deepen their understanding of the world, develop their awareness of cultural differences in other countries and develop a curiosity to visit and experience other countries.

To be successful, learners must: 

• develop their speaking and listening skills in French;

• use appropriate vocabulary and subject-specific terminology

• read and show understanding of French words, phrases and simple writing

• write in French to describe people, places and things, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt

• Connect learning within different aspects of French and between French and other subjects (geography and history)

• develop the confidence to use and apply their primary language learning in KS3

Implementation

Our chosen foreign language is French and this is taught to pupils for 1 hour every fortnight. 

Our MFL curriculum is organised into half termly units of work

 And covers the following skills:-

• Listening and Speaking (Oracy)

• Reading and Writing (Literacy) 

• Stories, Songs, Poems and Rhymes

• Grammar 

We use a variety of techniques to encourage the pupils to engage actively in the MFL, such as those outlined in the DFE Programme of Study.  We also use a range of strategies and resources such as: games, role-play, stories, poems, rhymes and songs. Pupils are also encouraged to use their language skills in all areas of the curriculum, e.g. answering the register etc.

Implementation 2021-22

The MFL curriculum has been adapted in 2021-22 to take account of necessary recovery following periods of national lockdown and remote learning.

MFL Policy