St. Faith’s chose to introduce French as our main Modern Foreign Language as it forms a linguistic basis which is not dissimilar to English and is therefore readily accessible. Given the proximity of France, it is also a language which they may have a chance to practice during the holidays. Furthermore, as a language which has been taught traditionally in this country, many of the parents and families will be familiar with it and on hand to provide additional support and input, if needed.

We are fortunate to have a French subject lead who brings a wealth of knowledge and teaching experience to inspire the children and help them to view the language as a social and cultural experience rather than simply learning a new vocabulary, grammar and linguistic structure. Teaching an awareness of the cultures, customs and sounds of another country brings an added layer of international understanding which can be socially enriching and links to other subjects in the curriculum to enhance their overall education.

We use Language Angels as a scheme of work to support the teaching and learning of French in KS2 which promotes the skills of verbal and written communication, translating and listening. Children also have informal lessons of French in KS1 through responses to registers, songs and asking and responding to questions about how they are feeling.