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MFL – French

At The Lea, we believe that learning a Modern Foreign Language enriches the curriculum and prepares pupils to participate in an ever-changing, multi-lingual world. Learning a language can help children to understand the culture, similarities and differences another country. It can help them to be successful in the modern world and may open up a world of personal and career possibilities.

The language we teach is French.   Even though learning a language is only compulsory in Key Stage 2, our younger children are introduced to French informally through singing and simple story telling.  Then, in years 3-6 we teach using the Rigolo scheme of work, which we have adapted for our use by focussing on the building blocks of language (phonics, grammar and vocabulary) in core everyday topic units.  Our small steps approach is reflected in the planned progression of key vocabulary and grammar which builds in complexity as the children move through KS2. We use a variety of different interactive ways of learning, including short, animated film clips, games and songs as well as written work.  We are very fortunate to have several members of staff who are fluent in French and other languages, and this has been beneficial to the learning of language for our children.

As a school aware of the internationalist future of our children, we recognise the significance of learning another language. We aim to raise awareness of our multilingual and multicultural world, and introduce an international dimension to learning. Learning a foreign language also provides opportunities to reinforce the knowledge, skills and understanding developed in other subjects. Through learning another language, pupils are able to develop communication and literacy skills which lay the foundation for future language learning. They extend their knowledge of how language works, develop linguistic competence, and explore similarities and differences between French and English.

At The Lea, we have a rich variety of backgrounds and cultures represented and we have many children who speak other languages. We celebrate our diversity and add to this global dimension by having an annual International Week. During this week each class immerse themselves in the culture and language of one country; we also introduce them to other Modern Foreign Languages, both those offered by local secondary schools (for example, Mandarin, Spanish and German) and others where that language is represented within our school community.  By learning about and from other languages and cultures, we feel it helps the children communicate effectively with others and promotes tolerance and understanding in the modern world.

 Our long-term curriculum overview can be found on the link below. Please note that this is a working document and is under a state of constant review – this overview was accurate as of Autumn 2022.

MfL French Curriculum

Examples of work:

How You Can Help At Home

If you would like to support your child with their learning, there are several options you could try.

  1. Make it fun!
    Learning a new language can be daunting but making and playing games where French words have been incorporated, such as snap, or a simple board game, helps so much with familiarity and confidence.
  2. Make it multimedia!
    Books, films or songs in French are brilliant for learning, and the internet has vast numbers of options.
  3. Take an interest!
    Ask your child to teach you some of the learning and phrases they are practising at school or let them put sticky notes on objects around the house where they are learning the French word for that item.

Useful Websites

 

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

  • understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
  • speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
  • can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
  • discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.