Modern Foreign Languages

The person responsible for developing MFL at our school is Miss L. Parr

Intent

At Whiston Willis Primary Academy, we aim to develop confident, curious and enthusiastic language learners who enjoy communicating in French and develop an appreciation of other languages and cultures.

Our ambitious and inclusive French curriculum develops pupils' skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing, alongside increasingly secure knowledge of vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. Pupils are encouraged to communicate with increasing confidence and develop strong foundations for further language learning.

Through learning French, pupils broaden their understanding of the wider world and develop curiosity and respect for different languages, cultures and ways of life.

Implementation

From Year 3 to Year 6, CUSP provides the core sequencing for our French curriculum. Learning is carefully structured so that vocabulary, phonics and grammatical knowledge are explicitly taught, regularly revisited and progressively developed.

Following the introduction of CUSP French, we have implemented a planned three-year transition towards the full CUSP sequence. This ensures that pupils build the prerequisite knowledge and language foundations they need before progressing to increasingly ambitious content. Teaching therefore reflects pupils' starting points while maintaining high expectations and a clear pathway towards the full curriculum.

Teaching reflects our whole-school pedagogical approach, informed by Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction and our six-part lesson strcuture. Retrieval, explicit instruction, modelling, questioning, guided practice and regular opportunities for rehearsal help pupils retain vocabulary and structures and apply them with increasing independence.

Oracy is central to langugae learning. Pupils regularly listen to and practise spoken French, developing accurate pronunciation and increasing confidence in asking and answering questions, expressing ideas and communicating with others.

As a Rights Respecting School, learning French provides opportunities to develop curiosity about other cultures and perspectives, encouraging pupils to value linguistic and cultural diversity and communicate respectfully with others.

Curriculum Progression

Our French curriculum is progressively sequenced across Key Stage 2, developing pupils' knowledge and skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Our planned transition to the full CUSP sequence ensures that learning builds securely from pupils' existing knowledge while progressively increasing ambition.

For further information about the content taught in each year group, click the curriculum overview below:

F​rench Curriculum Overview