Modern Foreign Languages

Intent

At Rowde Primary Academy, we believe that learning a foreign language opens the door to new cultures, perspectives and opportunities. Through our ambitious and engaging French curriculum, children develop the confidence, knowledge and skills needed to communicate in another language while fostering curiosity about the wider world.

From Year 3 to Year 6, pupils progressively develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills alongside their understanding of French phonics, vocabulary and grammar. We encourage children to become confident communicators who are willing to take risks, recognising that making mistakes is an important part of learning.

Learning French also develops children's understanding of different cultures and traditions, helping them to recognise similarities, celebrate differences and develop respect for others. Alongside our French curriculum, we celebrate a Language of the Term through collective worship and wider school life, introducing children to a range of world languages and cultures and further enriching their cultural capital.

By the end of Key Stage 2, we aim for every child to have developed a lifelong interest in languages and the confidence to continue language learning beyond primary school.

Implementation

French is taught weekly from Year 3 to Year 6 using the Language Angels Scheme of Work, which provides a carefully sequenced curriculum aligned to the National Curriculum.

Children progressively acquire and apply an increasingly sophisticated bank of vocabulary, phonics, grammatical knowledge and language structures through engaging, age-appropriate topics. Learning is carefully sequenced so that previously taught vocabulary and grammar are revisited regularly through retrieval activities, enabling children to strengthen their long-term memory and build confidence over time.

Lessons provide regular opportunities for children to:

• listen to authentic spoken French;
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation;
• engage in conversations using familiar vocabulary and sentence structures;
• read increasingly challenging texts;
• write for a range of purposes using the language they have learned.

Grammar is taught explicitly through a carefully planned progression, enabling children to understand how language works and apply this knowledge independently. French learning is enriched through songs, stories, festivals, traditions, geography, food and comparisons between life in France and the UK, helping children understand language within authentic cultural contexts.

Teachers use ongoing formative assessment alongside end-of-unit assessments to identify misconceptions, celebrate progress and inform future teaching.

Impact

By the time children leave Rowde Primary Academy, they have developed the confidence and skills to communicate in basic French through speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Children leave us able to:

• understand and respond to spoken and written French with increasing confidence;
• communicate using increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation;
• apply grammatical knowledge when constructing spoken and written sentences;
• read and understand increasingly complex texts;
• write using appropriate vocabulary and sentence structures for different purposes.

Beyond language skills, pupils develop resilience, confidence and a curiosity about the wider world. They gain an appreciation of different cultures and traditions, understand the value of learning languages and are well prepared for continued language study at secondary school.

French Overview French Skills ProgressionFrench Grammar ProgressionLanguages Policy

French Vocabulary Mat