French (Modern Foreign Languages) at Ordsall Primary School

At Ordsall Primary School, French is taught from Year 3 to Year 6 as part of the National Curriculum for Modern Foreign Languages. Our aim is for pupils to develop confidence, curiosity and enjoyment in learning a new language, alongside secure foundations for future language study.

Our French Curriculum

French at Ordsall is built around two forms of knowledge:

• Substantive knowledge – the vocabulary, phrases, grammar and cultural knowledge pupils are taught and expected to remember, including phonics patterns, sentence structures and verb forms

• Disciplinary knowledge – how pupils think and work as language learners, including listening for meaning, decoding language, forming sentences, recognising grammatical patterns and communicating ideas with increasing independence

Clear progression maps set out what pupils should know, do and understand in each year group. Learning is carefully sequenced so that knowledge builds cumulatively from Year 3 to Year 6, supporting long-term memory, accuracy and fluency over time.

How French Is Taught

French at Ordsall is taught using the Language Angels scheme, which provides a consistent and structured lesson format across Key Stage 2.

Language Angels lessons are designed to develop pupils’ skills across:

• listening

• speaking

• reading

• writing

• grammar

• phonics and pronunciation

Each lesson includes clear stages for introducing new language, practising pronunciation, revisiting prior learning, applying grammar and developing understanding through a range of interactive activities. This structure supports repetition, retrieval and progression, while allowing pupils to build confidence through regular exposure to spoken and written French.

Progression Through Language Angels

French follows the Language Angels progression model, ensuring increasing challenge and independence:

• Early Language Units – building confidence through familiar vocabulary, songs, stories and short phrases

• Intermediate Units – extending sentence length, introducing grammatical concepts and encouraging more independent language use

• Progressive Units – developing fluency, accuracy and spontaneity through extended listening, reading and writing tasks

Units are carefully selected and sequenced so pupils regularly revisit and build upon prior learning, strengthening both understanding and recall over time.

Thinking and Working Like Language Learners

Pupils are taught to think like language learners through regular opportunities to:

• listen attentively and identify key words and phrases

• practise accurate pronunciation and intonation

• decode unfamiliar language using phonics and patterns

• construct sentences using grammatical knowledge

• communicate ideas with increasing confidence and independence

Key vocabulary and grammatical structures are taught explicitly and revisited frequently to support secure learning.

Inclusion and Impact

We are committed to ensuring that all pupils can access and succeed in French. Lessons include built-in scaffolds, repetition and modelling to support all learners without lowering expectations.

The impact of our French curriculum is seen in pupils’ confidence, pronunciation, vocabulary recall, grammatical awareness and their willingness to communicate in another language.