MFL (modern foreign languages)
French (MFL) Curriculum
Intent
At our school, French is taught to inspire curiosity about the wider world and to help pupils become confident, enthusiastic language learners. Through the CUSP French curriculum, we aim for children to:
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Develop strong foundations in spoken and written French.
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Build a rich vocabulary and secure understanding of key grammatical structures.
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Communicate with increasing accuracy, confidence and fluency.
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Learn about French-speaking cultures to deepen their global awareness.
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Enjoy language learning and recognise its value in their future education and lives.
Our intent is that every child leaves primary school equipped with the knowledge and confidence to continue learning languages at secondary level.
Implementation
We follow the CUSP (Curriculum by Unity Schools Partnership) French units, which provide a carefully sequenced, high-quality programme from Year 3 to Year 6.
Teaching is structured so that:
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Knowledge builds progressively: vocabulary, phonics and grammar are revisited regularly, allowing children to retain and apply what they’ve learned.
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Small-step instruction supports pupils in hearing, saying, reading and writing French with increasing independence.
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Explicit phonics teaching enables children to decode unfamiliar words and pronounce them accurately.
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Modelled, guided and independent practice help pupils move from simple words and phrases to extended sentences.
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Lessons include songs, stories, conversations and written tasks to ensure all children engage with French in varied, meaningful contexts.
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Teachers use ongoing assessment to identify gaps, revisit learning and ensure pupils keep up, not catch up.
Our long-term plans, published separately on our website, show how knowledge and skills progress across the key stage.
Impact
By the end of Key Stage 2, our pupils:
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Communicate with increasing accuracy and confidence in spoken and written French.
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Demonstrate a secure knowledge of key vocabulary, phonics and grammatical structures.
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Show enthusiasm for learning languages and a positive attitude towards other cultures.
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Are well prepared for continuing language study in secondary school.
We measure the impact of our French curriculum through pupil voice, low-stakes assessments, learning walks and reviews of pupils’ work. These help us ensure that learning is remembered, applied and built on over time.