Curriculum Intent for French

At Halifax Primary School, our MFL curriculum is driven through our desire for all children to have an interest in cultures that are different to their own and an excitement and interest to learn other languages. In EYFS and Key Stage One, our children are provided with opportunities to hear languages, practise greetings in different languages, and learn some key vocabulary in French through songs. We also provide pupils with opportunities to develop cultural awareness of where in the world people speak French and we link this with the geography curriculum for pupils to learn more about France and other French speaking countries.

As children move into Year 3, we have tailored our curriculum for learning throughout the school to follow a similar pattern and will allow children to revisit concepts taught in previous years while then further developing this knowledge. Children will have 4 lessons a fortnight, which will break down into a repeated sequence that allows children to practise the same language skills, including learning French phonics, grammar, vocabulary and beginning to apply this in their writing. Children are encouraged to use their French books to become a bank of vocabulary they have learnt and for children to regularly refer back to in lessons. At the end of each unit, pupils are assessed in class to provide the class teacher with an understanding of where to start off when revisiting for the new topic and adapt lessons accordingly.

Through carefully sequencing how we intend children to develop as linguists, we have developed end points for every unit in each group from Year 3 onwards. This is an opportunity for pupils to be able to develop their skills and knowledge and apply this to different contexts. We have a wide range of end points and these include, introducing yourself to other members of the school community, purchasing items from a café, party preparations for Bastille day and linking with a school in Ipswich’s twinned town of Arras.

Curriculum Map

Impact – What our pupils say about learning French at Halifax

In all subjects at Halifax, we have Quality of Education reviews where our pupils share their learning and experiences in different subjects. Below is just a small sample of what our Halifax pupils think about their French lessons:

Elyza in Year 4 says, “I love French. I like learning new languages and I’m going to learn Spanish as well.”

Banu in Year 3 says, “I like learning new languages and I want to learn even more languages.”

Rhys in Year 6 says, “I enjoy learning French as a I want to learn new languages and then if you go to the country, you can speak it!”

Leo-James in Year 5 says, “I really like the recap part of the lessons as it means I don’t forget the new words I have learnt.”