Modern Foreign Languages

At Veritas Primary Academy, we believe that learning French gives children the opportunity to develop valuable communication skills while broadening their understanding of another language and culture. Children are introduced to French in Key Stage One and continue to develop their knowledge and skills progressively throughout Key Stage Two.

Our French curriculum is designed so that children revisit core language and skills each year, but at an increasingly challenging level. Progression is not simply about learning more vocabulary; it is about developing pupils’ ability to use and apply what they have learned with increasing confidence and independence.

Children move from recognising and reproducing individual words and familiar language in Year 3 to independently manipulating familiar language and producing increasingly complex sentences by Year 6. This spiral approach enables pupils to revisit previously learned vocabulary and structures in new and increasingly sophisticated contexts, supporting both retention and progression.

Through engaging lessons, pupils develop the four key language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing, alongside their understanding of French grammar and phonics. As they progress through Key Stage Two, children learn to ask and answer questions, construct sentences, express opinions, understand increasingly complex language and take part in conversations. They are encouraged to retrieve and apply previous learning and become increasingly confident and independent language learners.

Progress is carefully monitored through Language Learning Skills records and Achievement Records, which recognise pupils’ developing knowledge, grammatical understanding, accuracy, memory, confidence and independence. By the end of Year 6, our aim is for pupils to have developed a strong foundation in French, the confidence to communicate using familiar language and a positive attitude towards language learning, preparing them well for the next stage of their education.