Welcome to Highfields School French Page

An introduction to French

At Highfields we teach another language to provide a valuable, social and cultural experience for pupils. We hope to foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. During lessons, pupils are enabled to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and are encouraged to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. We also  provide opportunities for pupils to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. We hope pupils will develop a level of linguistic competence that will lay the foundation for future language learning.

At Highfields Primary School, children are introduced to French core vocabulary and phonetics in key stage 2. Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. Lessons are once a week and last 30 minutes, which is supplemented wherever possible with short sessions within the routine class environment. Please click on the link below for a curriculum overview.  

Aims

The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

•  Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic

     sources

• Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of

    communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking

    questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation

• Can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of

    grammatical structures that they have learnt

• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) / Pupil Premium / Higher Attainers

All children are catered for within our French lessons. For example, SEN children may be given less vocabulary to learn or additional support from adults within class. Extension tasks are given to those children who require additional challenge; these may include using new vocabulary in conjunction with pre-existing knowledge or independent vocabulary investigations.

What do children at Highfields think about French?

A Journey of French through the school

At Highfields our main focus is to give our children a well-rounded knowledge of the basics of our chosen language: French. We use the Language Angels scheme of work and resources to ensure we offer a broad, vibrant and ambitious MFL curriculum that will inspire and excite our children. All French lessons follow a thematic approach lasting 6 weeks with clearly organized units ranging from Core Vocabulary, Phonics and Grammar, Early Language, Intermediate Language, Progressive and Creative Language, thus allowing for progression. All children will be encouraged to achieve their full potential - our ultimate aim being that they will feel excited and able to continue studying languages beyond key stage 2.
All key stage 2 children are provided with opportunities to explore French as a Modern Foreign Language through the skills of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing, whilst meeting the requirements of the National Curriculum. We believe that learning a language has an important role to play in the preparation of our children’s futures, as it helps to develop confidence and raise cultural understanding and deepens their curiosity about the world around them.

What do Ofsted say about French at Highfields?

• French, music and art play a significant part in the life of the school

How can I practise my French at home?

Use these flashcards and useful links to websites and games to practise your French at home.