Modern Foreign Languages (French)

At St Barnabas, Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) aims to inspire our budding linguists to have the confidence and courage to communicate in another language. Our core language is French, taught through the Language Angels scheme, which provides a clear progression of phonics, vocabulary and grammar. These “three pillars” support our pupils in building strong linguistic foundations and substantial progress throughout Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3.

We are committed to providing high-quality learning experiences that help children grow in resilience, curiosity and cultural understanding. Through songs, stories, games, role-play and practical communication tasks, pupils learn to express themselves with increasing fluency, accuracy and independence.

Our intention is for every child to develop a genuine interest in languages and an appreciation of cultural diversity. By nurturing these attitudes early, we aim to lay solid foundations for future language study and help our pupils become confident, enthusiastic life-long language learners.

 

Our Curriculum

Children at St Barnabas experience a broad and vibrant French curriculum built on the Language Angels programme. This ensures a clear progression in the four key language skills:

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

Grammar is introduced in an age-appropriate way, enabling pupils to understand how languages work and how French differs from English. Over time, pupils build a bank of reference materials, vocabulary and structures that support both spoken and written communication and help them retain and apply previous learning.

Key Stage 2

Pupils begin with simple words and phrases, accurate pronunciation and listening activities before progressing to:

• Short conversations
• Reading simple texts
• Writing basic sentences
• Learning key grammatical patterns
• Exploring French culture, traditions and everyday life

They also develop oracy and literacy skills, which support their wider curriculum learning.

Key Stage 3

Pupils apply and extend their earlier learning through:

• Longer spoken exchanges
• Increased vocabulary and more complex grammar
• Reading and responding to a wider range of texts
• Writing with greater accuracy and confidence