Our Kingston French Curriculum

We Are Linguists!

How we help our children develop an understanding of a modern foreign language and build their French vocabulary.

Intent

At Kingston, we want our pupils to develop a real passion for languages and a curiosity for learning. Our aim is for them to feel confident enough to ‘try out’ their French when visiting a foreign country.

Through a carefully planned programme of study, pupils expand their knowledge of the world and learn about the culture and traditions of France. Our curriculum gives children opportunities to express ideas and thoughts in another language, deepening their understanding of the world and strengthening their oracy and literacy skills.

French is taught to all junior pupils and introduced to infants through songs, poems and books. This early exposure ensures that our youngest learners are excited about formally learning French in Year 3.

Our MFL curriculum aims to ensure all pupils:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language from authentic sources.
• Speak with increasing confidence, fluency, and spontaneity, focusing on accurate pronunciation and intonation.
• Write for different purposes and audiences using a range of grammatical structures.
• Meet the national curriculum end-of-Key Stage 2 attainment targets.
• Appreciate and absorb the culture of another country.

Implementation

We use the KAPOW scheme of work, which meets national curriculum expectations. French teaching at Kingston is highly visual and interactive, incorporating games, songs, pictures, and role play.

Our approach includes:

• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing
• Phonics
• Grammar

Lessons emphasise vocabulary acquisition and retrieval to embed learning in long-term memory. Our spiral curriculum ensures vocabulary is revisited and built upon, increasing complexity over time. Cognates are highlighted to help pupils make connections, and phonics is central to decoding and pronunciation.

French grammar is taught progressively so pupils can write full sentences by the time they leave Kingston.

We introduce French in EYFS through songs, poems and storybooks, as younger children are naturally receptive to language learning.

Junior teachers reinforce French throughout the week, not just in lessons. Vocabulary is displayed and used regularly to aid retention. Pupils receive at least 30 minutes of French teaching per week.

Cultural experiences are an important part of our curriculum. Every pupil takes part in at least one French cultural event each year, and we celebrate European Day of Languages to raise the profile of language learning across the school.

Assessment is robust, with WHY U and WHY R cards used for formative assessment and memory retrieval.

Impact

By the time they leave Kingston, pupils will:

• Have a strong working knowledge of French vocabulary.
• Feel proud of their ability to converse and write in a second language.
• Be ready to build on their learning at secondary school and beyond.

Our curriculum ignites curiosity about other countries and languages, setting pupils on a path that could enable them to study or work abroad in the future.

Some helpful resources to help your child to consolidate their French learning at home and become more fluent:

How to Support your Child at Home

Below are some interactive websites the children can visit to have fun with French whilst learning.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z39d7ty

http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2french.html