The Aim of French at Brookhouse Primary School

At Brookhouse Primary School, our aim is to inspire pupils to develop a love of language learning and make substantial progress in French throughout Key Stage 2, in line with the National Curriculum.

Through engaging and purposeful lessons, pupils develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, building confidence in communicating in French. They develop vocabulary, pronunciation and grammatical knowledge, using strategies such as memorisation, retrieval and bilingual dictionaries to support their learning.

Pupils learn to recognise and apply French sounds, spelling patterns and grammatical structures, using their knowledge to understand and create sentences independently. Through songs, rhymes, stories and exploration of French-speaking cultures, pupils develop cultural awareness and an appreciation of the similarities and differences between languages and communities.

By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will have developed the knowledge, skills and resilience needed to communicate with increasing confidence in French, providing a strong foundation for further language learning at secondary school.

French Rationale

At our school, French is introduced in Year 3 and developed progressively through Years 3–6, giving pupils a strong foundation for language learning at secondary school.

Pupils develop their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills through engaging activities including songs, rhymes, stories, games and conversations. They build an increasingly wide vocabulary and develop their understanding of French pronunciation, grammar and sentence structure.

• Year 3 focuses on building confidence with basic vocabulary, sounds, pronunciation and simple phrases and sentences.
• Year 4 builds on this foundation, extending vocabulary and developing pupils’ ability to ask and answer questions, express opinions, read and write simple sentences, and begin using a bilingual dictionary.
• Year 5 develops greater fluency and accuracy. Pupils work with more complex language, broaden their vocabulary and begin to use grammar and dictionaries more independently.
• Year 6 consolidates and extends previous learning. Pupils communicate using increasingly complex sentences, develop their understanding of grammar and read and write a wider range of texts, preparing them for continued French learning at secondary school.
• Through French, pupils develop communication skills, cultural awareness, confidence and an enjoyment of learning languages.