Curriculum Intent Statement - Modern Foreign Languages (MfL)

At Fulwood and Cadley Primary School, we believe that learning a language broadens children's horizons, develops their confidence as communicators and encourages curiosity about the wider world.

French is our chosen Modern Foreign Language and is taught throughout Key Stage 2. Our French curriculum is ambitious for all pupils and is carefully sequenced so that children progressively develop their vocabulary, pronunciation, grammatical understanding and ability to communicate in another language.

We aim to provide children with strong foundations for further language learning at secondary school while developing an appreciation of other languages, countries and cultures.

How We Teach French

French is taught through carefully sequenced learning within our two-year rolling curriculum.

Children regularly revisit previously learned vocabulary and language structures before building upon them. New vocabulary and grammatical structures are explicitly taught and then applied through meaningful opportunities to listen, speak, read and write in French.

Lessons provide opportunities for children to hear accurate French, practise pronunciation, participate in conversations, ask and answer questions, read increasingly challenging language and communicate ideas in writing.

Children are encouraged to take risks with language and understand that making mistakes is an important part of learning to communicate in another language.

Developing Language Skills

Our French curriculum progressively develops the four key areas of language learning:

• Listening – listening attentively and responding to spoken French.
• Speaking – developing accurate pronunciation and communicating with increasing confidence.
• Reading – recognising vocabulary, understanding sentences and reading increasingly complex French.
• Writing – progressing from words and phrases towards creating sentences and longer pieces of writing.

Alongside these skills, children develop their understanding of French grammar, including patterns and structures that enable them to manipulate language and construct their own sentences rather than simply memorising phrases.

Language and Culture

Learning French is about more than learning vocabulary.

Children are given opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of France and the wider French-speaking world, exploring aspects of language, culture and everyday life.

Through this, we aim to encourage children to recognise and celebrate similarities and differences between languages and cultures and develop their curiosity about the wider world.

Developing Confident Language Learners

We want our children to become confident and increasingly independent language learners.

Children are encouraged to use their previous learning, recognise patterns, make connections between French and English and use available resources to help them communicate.

As they progress through Key Stage 2, children are increasingly challenged to select and combine vocabulary and grammatical structures independently to communicate their own ideas.

Through our French curriculum, we aim for children to leave Fulwood and Cadley with the confidence, curiosity and foundations needed to continue learning languages successfully in the future