French at Fordbridge 

Bonjour, nous apprenons a’ parler Français!   

Our vision for French at Fordbridge is that children will learn a modern foreign language through engaging, creative and knowledge-rich lessons. French is our chosen language as it is one the closest and easiest to visit neighbouring countries, forms many parts of modern English and best supports our children moving on as French is the language taught at the majority of local secondary schools.

Our aim is for each child to be able to communicate effectively, through listening and speaking, accurate translation and pronunciation whilst developing a greater appreciation of different cultures by understanding what it is to be a global citizen.

Progression

During EYFS to Year 2, languages are taught progressively encouraging the children to express themselves through simple exposure in the form of greetings, songs and rhymes. This provides a foundation before transitioning to learning the language.

From Year 3 upwards the children have dedicated time to progress their learning through a scheme called Kapow. This incorporates essential language strands such as speaking, listening, reading, writing, grammar, intercultural understanding and language detective skills.

Implementation

Whilst following the Kapow lesson structure, we ensure that the activities taught are suitable for our children to support, encourage and challenge them to achieve their potential.

All children in Key Stage 2 are given opportunities to:

• Listen to French and learn everyday words and phrases 
• Engage in conversations to share ideas and opinions as well as being able to ask and answer questions 
• Read French texts and stories
• Learn songs, poems, rhymes and stories in another language to help with vocabulary and also with cultural understanding 
• Write words and phrases from memory as well as describing people and places with basic sentences