French

Intent

At St John Bosco RC Primary, our Modern Foreign Language education will foster children’s curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. We are committed to ensuring that the teaching of French enables children to interpret, create and exchange meaning within and across cultures. We feel that the earlier a child is exposed to a foreign language, the faster the language in question is acquired.

The skills, knowledge and understanding gained through learning a language contribute to the development of children’s oracy and literacy and to their understanding of their own culture and those of others.

We believe that the early acquisition of French will facilitate the learning of other foreign languages later in life.

We will prepare children for the KS3 language curriculum to enable them to transfer confidently and successfully. French is chosen as this is one of the languages that our feeder secondary school teaches French.

We will prepare children to participate in the rapidly changing world in which we live. We want all children to be able to understand and respond to spoken and written language; speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity; communicate through discussion and questioning; and continually improve the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.

In Lower KS2, children acquire basic skills and understanding in French with an emphasis placed on developing their Speaking and Listening ability. These will be further developed in Upper KS2 alongside Reading and Writing skills, gradually progressing to more complex language concepts and greater learner autonomy.

In Practice

In the EYFS, MFL fits within People and Communities. As part of this Area of Learning, children engage with role play, songs, stories and specific activities to develop an understanding and sensitivity to the similarities and differences between themselves and others, including languages.

In KS1, the exploration of language is linked in other topics, such as learning about other countries, they also are immersed in our languages day.

In KS2, lessons are planned and taught following the National Curriculum. Teachers follow a comprehensive scheme of work (Rachel Hawks) which covers all aspects of the MFL curriculum: speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural understanding. The scheme progresses these skills and knowledge throughout KS2. Activities consist of a range of teaching techniques including actions, rhymes, songs, drama and many more creative ways to extend and embed language skills.

Where English is not a child's first language, children are encouraged to continue using their first language at home and are supported to listen, understand, and respond in English whilst at school.

Lessons comprise of 30 minutes of discrete teaching each week; Children have French exercise books to record their learning.  

Cross Curricular links are made with topics studied to enhance understanding and to celebrate differences in culture.

How Can Parents Help

Learning French as a foreign language can be a difficult task, especially for young children. However, parents can help their children to learn French by…

• Encouraging your child to enjoy the language by playing French-related games and completing fun challenges.

• Watching French TV programmes, listening to music and watching films with your child, then discussed what was said.

• Reading French books out loud with your child and discuss the story in French. This improves speaking and comprehension skills.

• Finding opportunities for your child to communicate in French. This could be by visiting a French-speaking country or talking to French-speaking friends and family.

Further support and useful websites

The BBC Bitesize websites link to videos, games and information a wide range of French speaking activities and games.

KS2 French - BBC Bitesize

MFL Primary French - BBC Teach

This website has resources to help with learning French.

Primary Resources: Modern Foreign Languages

The Association for Language Learning is the leading organisation supporting langauge teachers in the UK. Their resources are available at:

French - Association for Language Learning (all-languages.org.uk)

Files to Download