French

Intent

At Bishop Aldhelm’s our French curriculum is designed to nurture a love of language, develop communication skills, and broaden pupils’ cultural awareness. Rooted in our Christian ethos, we value every child as a global citizen and strive to promote tolerance, respect, and understanding of other cultures.  

Implementation

At Bishop Aldhelm’s, all children in Key Stage 2 are given the opportunity to study a foreign language curriculum that will inspire and excite our pupils. We aim for the foreign language knowledge of our pupils to progress each academic year in the four key language learning skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing. The children will be taught through a varied and engaging range of activities to develop a genuine interest and positive curiosity about foreign languages and other cultures and communities around the world as global citizens. Through acquiring a new language, it also enables pupils to become more confident communicators and learners.

Through language lessons at Bishop Aldhelm’s, we are striving to help all children develop: a love of learning new skills; courage to use these skills in a variety of contexts both in and out of school; deepening their sense of unity with the wider language rich world and inspiring others to become lifelong language learners.

At Bishop Aldhelm’s we teach French in Key Stage 2. Our curriculum progresses through listening, speaking, reading and writing. The concepts of phonics, vocabulary and grammar are taught throughout each of these areas. The curriculum has a strong focus on developing children’s understanding and use of verbs in French. Planned practice and review of phonics, vocabulary and grammar is in place to help develop children’s confidence with French and help to commit this new language into their long-term memory. Topics are chosen to develop children’s knowledge sufficiently to enable them to write to and then meet their French Pen pals in Year 6. 

Our Young Interpreters (see our EAL page) also allow our children to develop their knowledge of different cultures and languages across the school. 

Impact

Our French curriculum has a clear impact on pupils’ language proficiency, cultural understanding, and personal development. At the end of year 6, the children will be able to:

  • Pupils demonstrate increasing confidence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing in French.
  • They show curiosity and respect for other cultures and faiths, aligned with our Christian values of compassion, community, and love.
  • Feedback from pupils highlights enjoyment and pride in communicating with real children in another country.
  • Our French partnership enhances motivation and purpose in language learning, and many pupils develop friendships that extend beyond the classroom.
  • Pupils are well-prepared for further language study in secondary school and beyond.

By learning French at Bishop Aldhelm’s, our pupils grow not only in linguistic skills but also in their role as respectful, informed, and open-hearted global citizens.