French

Curriculum
At St Paulinus, French is taught throughout Key Stage 2 to foster curiosity, cultural awareness and a love of language learning. Our curriculum is cumulative, building from simple vocabulary and sounds in Year 3 to purposeful conversations, reading and writing in Year 6. Lessons are coherent and connected, with content revisited regularly in new contexts to strengthen long-term learning. Pupils learn to listen, speak, read and write in French, developing the skills and confidence to communicate beyond their first language. This progression prepares them for secondary school language learning and encourages an openness to other cultures.

Vocabulary
Vocabulary is at the heart of our French curriculum. New words and phrases are introduced systematically and revisited often, supporting pupils to build secure “banks” of language. Key topics such as greetings, family, food, school and hobbies provide contexts for learning, while grammatical vocabulary (noun, verb, gender, tense) is introduced progressively. Over time, pupils are able to apply vocabulary flexibly in both spoken and written communication.

Implementation
French lessons are interactive and engaging, combining speaking, listening, reading and writing. In Year 3, pupils focus on sounds, songs and simple phrases; by Year 6 they can hold short conversations, write sentences and understand simple texts. Lessons include regular opportunities for retrieval, practice and application. Teachers model pronunciation and encourage pupils to use French actively, both in structured activities and in creative tasks such as role-play or storytelling. Progression is ensured through carefully sequenced planning and cumulative revisiting of key content.