At St Joseph’s, French introduces children to another language and culture from Year 3. Our carefully sequenced curriculum develops pupils’ confidence in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Children learn how French phonics, vocabulary and grammar work together, progressing from recognising and rehearsing familiar words to holding short conversations and producing increasingly detailed sentences and connected texts.
French lessons are lively and engaging, using songs, stories, games, paired conversations, reading aloud and purposeful writing activities. Pupils explore topics including greetings, numbers, colours, animals, family, food, weather, clothing, time, sport and health. They also learn about French-speaking countries and experience aspects of their stories, celebrations, music, dance, art and food.
By the end of Year 6, pupils can apply their phonics knowledge to familiar and unfamiliar words, understand key information in spoken and written French, express preferences and personal information, and communicate through connected speech and writing. Through learning French, children develop curiosity, resilience and respect for other languages and cultures, preparing them for further language learning at secondary school.
