MFL - French

At Upminster Junior School our French curriculum is designed to be stimulating, progressive and enjoyable. We aim to foster a genuine curiosity about language and cultural differences while embedding the core skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Our goal is to empower children to express themselves with confidence. This lays strong foundations that adequately prepare them for Key Stage 3 and beyond.

Knowledge 

Through the use of the Language Angels scheme children build a robust bank of vocabulary and grammatical understanding from Year 3 to Year 6. Pupils develop substantive knowledge of how language works. This includes specific concepts such as masculine and feminine forms and verb conjugation. This knowledge is sequenced carefully to allow children to revisit prior learning and understand how French structure differs from English.

Skills 

Language skills are taught through regular opportunities to listen to authentic pronunciation, engage in conversations and express opinions. Children develop the ability to speak in sentences with accurate intonation, read phrases with understanding and write from memory. These skills are practised progressively as pupils move from basic words to constructing new sentences to express their own ideas.

Experiences 

French lessons are interactive and energetic. Teachers utilise interactive whiteboards to bring the language to life through songs, rhymes and games. The experience is designed to be fun and accessible and often links to the wider curriculum. For example children learn fruit vocabulary while making smoothies in DT. We encourage an environment where French becomes part of the daily routine to inspire children to see French in everyday life.

French Long Term Plan