MFL

Curriculum Intent

Our Modern Foreign Languages curriculum aims to foster curiosity about language and other cultures while giving pupils secure foundations in French. We want children to listen attentively, speak with increasing confidence and accuracy, read familiar language and write phrases and sentences from memory and with appropriate support. Learning another language also helps pupils notice patterns, compare linguistic structures and reflect on how language works. Cultural learning broadens pupils’ understanding of communities beyond their own experience and supports respectful curiosity. The curriculum is deliberately cumulative so that vocabulary, phonics, sentence structures and grammatical features are revisited and extended over time rather than taught as isolated topics. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils should be willing to communicate, able to understand and produce an increasing range of French, and equipped with positive attitudes and learning strategies that support successful progression into Key Stage 3 languages.

Curriculum Implementation

Modern Foreign Languages is implemented through a progressive French curriculum in Key Stage 2 that develops pupils’ listening, speaking, reading and writing. Pupils learn to understand and use increasingly broad vocabulary, develop accurate pronunciation, recognise patterns in language and construct phrases and sentences for familiar purposes. Cultural learning is woven through the curriculum so that pupils encounter aspects of French-speaking cultures and develop curiosity and respect for languages and ways of life beyond their own.

Learning is sequenced from sound and word recognition towards increasingly confident sentence-level communication, reading and writing. Previously learned vocabulary, phonics and grammatical structures are revisited frequently and applied in new contexts, enabling pupils to build fluency and combine familiar language with increasing independence. Teachers make useful comparisons between French and English to help pupils notice patterns and deepen their understanding of how language works.

Lessons provide frequent opportunities to hear, repeat, practise and use French. Teachers model accurate pronunciation and introduce new language in manageable steps through songs, games, dialogues, reading and writing activities. Oral familiarity is established before pupils are expected to record language independently, while pair and whole-class speaking build confidence. Regular retrieval and responsive correction help pupils remember vocabulary and structures and become increasingly accurate communicators.

Reading, Vocabulary & Oracy

Language learning is inherently rooted in vocabulary and oracy. Pupils learn to listen carefully to unfamiliar sounds, rehearse pronunciation and use sentence stems before speaking more independently. Reading short French texts supports decoding and vocabulary recall, while comparison with English develops language awareness. Pupils are encouraged to take risks, respond in complete phrases and listen respectfully to others.

Inclusion & Adaptation

All pupils are expected to participate in French. Teachers reduce barriers through repetition, visual support, gestures, word banks, sentence frames, paired rehearsal and reduced copying demands where appropriate. Pupils with SEND can demonstrate understanding orally or through matching and selection before moving to extended written responses. More confident linguists are challenged to manipulate familiar structures, ask and answer less predictable questions and write with greater independence.

Assessment

Assessment is low-stakes and closely connected to the four language skills. Teachers listen to pupils’ responses, check recall, review short reading and writing tasks and use retrieval to see what has been retained from earlier units. Assessment identifies whether vocabulary and structures are becoming usable rather than merely recognised. Findings inform revision, regrouping and the amount of rehearsal needed before new language is introduced.

Enrichment & Wider Opportunities

Songs, stories, cultural comparisons, celebrations and authentic materials help pupils see French as a living language. Where possible, pupils encounter the diversity of French-speaking communities and make links to food, geography, history, music and everyday life. These experiences are intended to build curiosity and motivation rather than replace systematic language teaching.

Curriculum Impact

Impact is demonstrated when pupils can retrieve and use an increasing bank of vocabulary and structures, understand familiar spoken and written French and communicate simple ideas with growing independence. They should show improved pronunciation, willingness to speak and awareness that languages have patterns and structures that can differ from English. Pupils should approach Key Stage 3 with confidence, curiosity and useful strategies for memorising and applying language. Leaders evaluate impact through pupil voice, classroom performance, written work and curriculum evidence, ensuring progress is evident across all four language skills.