Modern Foreign Language: French

At Brierley, children learn French through weekly lessons from Year 3 to Year 6. We want children to become confident and curious language learners who are willing to listen carefully, speak aloud, notice patterns, have a go and communicate with increasing independence. Learning another language broadens children's understanding of people, places and cultures and provides strong foundations for further language learning at secondary school.

Our values of Nurture, Aspire, Believe and Achieve are reflected in French. Children are encouraged to support one another, be brave enough to try unfamiliar language, learn from mistakes and take pride in the progress they make.

Strong Foundations for Language Learning

Formal French teaching begins in Year 3, but the foundations for learning another language begin much earlier. Throughout the Early Years and Key Stage 1, children develop listening, speaking, vocabulary and communication skills. They learn to listen carefully, distinguish sounds, repeat unfamiliar words, take turns and express their ideas. When children begin French in Year 3, teaching starts with accessible vocabulary and familiar situations so that they can experience success and develop confidence from the beginning.

How We Teach French

Learning a language depends on hearing, rehearsing, retrieving and reusing language regularly. French lessons therefore include opportunities to listen, speak, read and write. Teachers model pronunciation, vocabulary and sentence structures clearly. Children practise language together before gradually using it with greater independence.

Our teaching follows the principle of I do, We do, You do. Visuals, gestures, repetition, songs, games, partner talk and structured written activities help children understand and remember new language. We want pupils to see French as a language for communication, not simply a collection of words to learn.

Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing

Children's French develops through four closely connected areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Spoken language is particularly important. Children listen carefully to French, repeat unfamiliar sounds, answer questions and gradually begin to communicate information about themselves and everyday situations.

Reading helps pupils connect the French they hear with the way it is written. They learn to recognise familiar vocabulary and use context, pronunciation and known sentence patterns to help them understand new language.

Writing develops alongside speaking and reading. Children begin with familiar words and phrases before increasingly adapting known vocabulary and sentence structures to communicate their own ideas. As confidence grows, pupils become less dependent on repeating fixed phrases and increasingly use what they already know in new situations.

Vocabulary, Phonics and Grammar

Children build a growing bank of useful French vocabulary through meaningful contexts such as family, school, hobbies, weather, travel, shopping, food, clothing and daily life. Vocabulary is regularly revisited so that children can retrieve and reuse it rather than learning each topic in isolation.

Pupils also learn that French has its own sound patterns. The French alphabet is introduced in Year 3, and teachers model pronunciation carefully so children can connect spoken and written language.

Grammar is introduced naturally through the language children are learning. Pupils begin to notice patterns in words and sentences and gradually understand how vocabulary can be combined and changed to communicate different meanings.

French Culture and the Wider World

Learning French also encourages children to be curious about life beyond their immediate community. Year 3 begins with an introduction to France and its culture. As pupils progress, their cultural awareness widens. In Year 5, children explore countries and cities, travel, French-speaking countries, nationalities and languages. This helps children understand that French is spoken in different communities around the world and that language is closely connected with people, places and identity.

French in Our Multilingual School Community

Brierley is a multilingual school community, with many children speaking English as an additional language and families with connections to different parts of the world. We see this as a strength. Many pupils already understand that different languages use different sounds, words and structures to express ideas. Where appropriate, teachers encourage children to notice connections and differences between French, English and other languages they know.

Children's home languages are valued positively. No child is expected to translate for others or represent an entire language or culture, but pupils may choose to share their knowledge and experiences where these enrich learning. Our diverse community helps children see that speaking different languages is a normal and valuable part of life.

Revisiting and Remembering

We know that language needs to be revisited frequently if children are to remember it and use it confidently. French lessons include regular opportunities to retrieve previously learned vocabulary, phrases and sentence structures. Our scheme deliberately begins Year 4 with a review of Year 3, Year 5 with a review of Years 3 and 4, and Year 6 with a broader review of learning from Years 3 to 5. Important language is then reused in new contexts so that children's knowledge becomes increasingly secure and flexible. Flashbacks, questioning, games, speaking activities and short retrieval tasks help teachers see what pupils remember and what needs further practice.

A Sequenced Curriculum

Our French curriculum builds progressively from Year 3 to Year 6. In Year 3, children establish the foundations through France and its culture, greetings and names, classroom instructions, numbers and age, the French alphabet, colours, dates and birthdays, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, family and the farm. In Year 4, pupils review Year 3 before exploring pets, home, school, lunchtime, school subjects, sports and hobbies, musical instruments, weather, seasons, fruit and the market.

In Year 5, children develop language linked to emotions, body parts, visiting the doctor, countries and cities, travel, French-speaking countries, nationalities and languages, numbers to 100, euros and the supermarket. In Year 6, pupils draw previous learning together through time, daily routines, physical description, personality, clothes, shopping, directions, cafés, occupations and writing a letter from France. Across Key Stage 2, children become increasingly confident in using previous vocabulary and language structures within new situations.

Supporting Every Child

French is for every child. Teachers use visuals, gestures, repetition, modelling, word banks, sentence stems and paired rehearsal to help children participate successfully. Support is gradually reduced as confidence and independence grow. For children who already speak more than one language, we recognise the valuable knowledge and language-learning experience they bring. Our aim is for every child to see themselves as capable of learning another language.

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment happens naturally throughout French lessons.

Teachers listen to children's spoken responses and consider their reading and writing to understand what they know and can use. We look at whether pupils can remember vocabulary, understand familiar spoken French, respond appropriately, read for meaning and communicate through writing. Retrieval activities help teachers identify language that needs further practice before new learning is introduced. Feedback is often immediate, particularly when children are speaking, so they can hear a correct model, practise again and build confidence.

French Beyond the Classroom

We want children to recognise that French is a real language used by people around the world. Learning is therefore linked to practical situations such as greetings, birthdays, school, shopping, travel, cafés and everyday routines. Our diverse Brierley community also reinforces the importance of languages. Many of our pupils regularly hear or use languages other than English, helping children recognise multilingualism as something valuable and relevant.

How You Can Help Your Child at Home

Families do not need to speak French to support language learning. You can help by asking your child to teach you some French, practising familiar words together, encouraging them to speak French aloud, listening to simple French songs or stories and locating France and other French-speaking countries on a map. Most importantly, encourage your child to have a go without worrying about getting everything right. Confidence grows through practice.

Useful French Learning Resources

BBC Bitesize provides activities and resources for practising primary French.

BBC Bitesize French https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z39d7ty

Children can also benefit from listening to simple French songs, stories and conversations. Little and often is particularly helpful when learning another language. Regularly revisiting a small amount of familiar French helps vocabulary and sentence patterns become secure.

Knowing Our Curriculum Is Working

Our French Subject Leader works closely with staff to make sure that learning is progressive and that children build on what they have learned previously. Spoken French, reading, retrieval activities and conversations with pupils help us understand what children know and remember.

We consider whether pupils can understand familiar French, recall and reuse vocabulary, pronounce words with increasing confidence. We also look at whether children can draw on earlier learning when they encounter a new context. We want to know not simply that children have encountered French, but that important language has been remembered and can be used.

Confident and Curious Language Learners

By the time children leave Brierley, we want them to have strong foundations for future language learning. We want pupils to listen carefully, speak with confidence, notice patterns, ask and answer questions, read for meaning and use their growing vocabulary to communicate. Whether they continue with French or begin another language at secondary school, we want them to approach language learning positively and believe that it is something they can succeed in.

We aim to develop confident and curious language learners who appreciate the languages within their own Brierley community and recognise the value of communicating in an increasingly connected world.