Modern Foreign Languages

French Curriculum Overview – Bitham Brook Primary School

At Bitham brook our curriculum is delivered using rachelhawkes.com language learning website.

Curriculum Intent and Purpose

At Bitham Brook, we aim to:

Foster a fascination with language and how it works
Promote curiosity about the culture of French-speaking countries
Develop confident communicators in a new language
Provide a strong foundation for future language learning at KS3
Celebrate and connect with pupils’ heritage languages

Why Learn French?
Language learning opens minds, widens horizons, and develops a broader understanding of the world. It encourages:

Communication for real-life purposes
Exploration of other cultures
A deeper appreciation of one’s own language and identity

Curriculum Structure

Core Strands

At Bitham brook we teach three core strands of essential knowledge.

Phonics – Recognising and pronouncing sounds accurately
Vocabulary – Learning frequently used, functional words
Grammar – Understanding sentence-building rules, including:
- Gender of nouns
- Singular/plural forms
- Adjective agreement
- Verb conjugation

Curriculum Time and Follow-Ups

Weekly Structure

Main Lesson: 30-minute French lesson each week.
Mini Follow-Ups: 5 short recap activities throughout the week, such as:
- French greetings during registration
- Using French to give instructions
- Number practice in lining up

National Curriculum Alignment

Our French curriculum fully meets the requirements of the National Curriculum for Languages (2014).

KS2 pupils are taught to:

Listen and respond
Link sound, spelling, and meaning
Read aloud accurately
Understand phrases and texts
Speak in sentences
Ask and answer questions
Describe people, places, and things
Express opinions
Write from memory and adapt known phrases---

Provision by Key Stage

Key Stage 1 (Non-Statutory)

Exposure through songs, rhymes, poems, and games
Encourages early curiosity and celebrates cultural diversity
Supports children with heritage languages to share their knowledge

Key Stage 2 (Statutory)

Weekly French lessons for all pupils
Aims to develop:
- Language and cultural curiosity
- Practical communication skills
- Understanding of basic grammar
- Readiness for KS3 language learning

Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

We believe every child has the right to language learning.

All learners, including those with SEN, are supported through:
- Differentiated activities
- Scaffolding and visual aids
- Encouragement to engage in speaking and listening activities
Language learning helps challenge stereotypes, celebrate diversity, and promote cultural respect.

National Curriculum

Pupils should be taught to:

Listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
Explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
Engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help*
Speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases*
Present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences*
Read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
Appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
Broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
Write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
Describe people, places, things and actions orally* and in writing Languages
Understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Assessment

Assessment in French is ongoing and embedded throughout every lesson. Teachers continually assess pupils’ understanding through questioning, speaking and listening activities, reading tasks, and written work, enabling them to provide immediate feedback and address misconceptions. At the end of each unit, pupils are assessed against the unit outcomes to evaluate their knowledge, skills, and application of language. Teachers are also able to use vocabulary and phonics assessments to monitor progress over time, identify areas for development, and ensure that pupils are building a secure foundation in French language learning.

Bitham Brook Programme of Study

	Term 1	Term 2	Term 3	Term 4	Term 5	Term 6
KS1 Songs?	Key knowledge	song, rhymes, poems and/or word games, adults from France – been to France??				Key knowledge Assessment follow up
Year 3	Key knowledge	Describing me and others		Saying what I and others have		Key knowledge Assessment follow up
Year 4	Key knowledge	Saying what I and others do (Rouge)		Saying what I and others like (Rouge)		Key knowledge Assessment follow up
Year 5	Key knowledge	Saying what I and others do (Jaune)		Describing things and people (Jaune)		Key knowledge Assessment follow up
Year 6	Key knowledge	Saying how many and describing things		Describing things and people Rouge		Key knowledge Assessment follow up

Year group units

Year 3
	UNIT	Context, Communication, Culture	Key ideas (GRAMMAR)	PHONICS SSC - Sound-symbol correspondence	VOCABULARY	National Curriculum PoS End of Unit
Term 1
Term 2/3	Unit 1 (W1-7)	Describing me and others in class in Haiti and in France	Talking about being Essential verb: to be, being – ÊTRE I am – je suis you are – tu es he is – il est she is – elle est it is, it’s – c’est Adjective agreement for masculine/feminine (as complement to verb) Yes/no questions with raised intonation	Vowels [a] [e] [i] [o] [u] Silent final consonants [SFC] – t, s, d SSC [an/en] SSC closed [eu]	Simple greetings Verb être Range of adjectives Days of the week	I can… respond confidently to greetings and register (L1) match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) listen and join in with simple songs and rhymes (L1/R2) listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) say short sentences to describe people (S2/3) ask and answer simple yes/no questions about being (S1(a)/G4) use regular singular m/f adjectives after être(G3)
Term 4/5	Unit 2 (W8-12)	Saying what I and others have at home with friends	Talking about having Essential verb: to have, having – AVOIR I have – j’ai you have – tu as he has – il a she has – elle a Indefinite, singular articles and gender Talking about identifying C’est un/une… Intonation questions with quoi ?	Liaison (t) SSC [ch] SSC [on] SSC [au/eau/o] SSC [ou] [u]	Verb avoir Range of singular masculine and feminine nouns	I can… listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) say short sentences to say what I and others have (S2/3) ask and answer simple questions to identify things and say what I and others have (S1(a)/G4) write memory (W1), adapt (W2) use singular m/f nouns with indefinite articles (G1)
Term 6

Year 4
	UNIT	Context, Communication, Culture	Key ideas (GRAMMAR)	PHONICS SSC - Sound-symbol correspondence	VOCABULARY	National Curriculum PoS End of Unit
Term 1
Term 2 and 3	Unit 4 (W1-5)	Saying what I and others do in class at home Menton carnival	Talking about doing Infinitive – regular ER verbs (singular)Definite articles – le, la, l’ Talking about possession Possessive adjectives – mon, ma, ton, ta ‘de’ for possession	SSC [é] [er] SSC [ez] & et (and) SSC open [eu] SSC [è] [ê]	Range of regular –ER verbs Family members Range of nouns, adjectives and adverbs	I can… match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) say short sentences to describe actions (S2/3) ask and answer simple yes/no questions about doing (S1(a)/G4) use singular m/f nouns with definite articles and possessive adjectives (G2) use regular singular m/f adjectives after être (G3)
Term 4 and 5	Unit 5 (W6-7)	Saying what I and others like family & friends at home	Talking about liking, preferring Essential verb: to like – AIMER, to prefer – PRÉFÉRER Joining ideas together Conjunctions et, mais, aussi	SSC [ai] SSC [oi]	Range of regular –ER verbs Range of singular masculine and feminine nouns	I can… listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) say short sentences to say what I and others like (S1(b)/S2/3) ask and answer simple questions to say what I and others like (S1(a)/G4) write from memory (W1), adapt (W2), describe things, actions (W3) use singular m/f nouns with definite articles (G2), connectives (G5)
Term 6

Year 5
	UNIT	Context, Communication, Culture	Key ideas (GRAMMAR)	PHONICS SSC - Sound-symbol correspondence	VOCABULARY	National Curriculum PoS End of Unit
Term 1
Term 2 and 3	Unit 4 (W1-5)	Saying what I and others do French club at home Nice carnival	Talking about doing Infinitive – regular ER verbs (singular)Definite articles – le, la, l’ Talking about possession Possessive adjectives – mon, ma, ton, ta ‘de’ for possession	SSC [é] [er] SSC [ez] & et (and) SSC open [eu] SSC [è] [ê]	Range of regular –ER verbs Family members Range of nouns, adjectives and adverbs	I can… match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) say short sentences to describe actions (S2/3) ask and answer simple yes/no questions about doing (S1(a)/G4) use singular m/f nouns with definite articles and possessive adjectives (G2) use regular singular m/f adjectives after être (G3)
Term 4 and 5	Unit 5 (W6-7)	Saying what I and others like family & friends travelling	Talking about liking, preferring Essential verb: to like – AIMER, to prefer – PRÉFÉRER Joining ideas together Conjunctions et, mais, aussi	SSC [ai] SSC [oi]	Range of regular –ER verbs Range of singular masculine and feminine nouns	I can… listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) say short sentences to say what I and others like (S1(b)/S2/3) ask and answer simple questions to say what I and others like (S1(a)/G4) write from memory (W1), adapt (W2), describe things, actions (W3) use singular m/f nouns with definite articles (G2), connectives (G5)
Term 6

Year 6
	UNIT	Context, Communication, Culture	Key ideas (GRAMMAR)	PHONICS SSC - Sound-symbol correspondence	VOCABULARY	National Curriculum PoS End of Unit
Term 1
Term 2 and 3	Unit 6 (W8-9)	Saying how many and describing things	Talking about more than one Essential verb: there is/are – il y a Plural indefinite article – des Regular plural marking on nouns [-s]	Liaison (s), (x) SSC [(a)in]	Numbers 1-12	ask and answer simple questions to say how many things there are (S1(a)/G4) use singular and plural m/f nouns with indefinite articles (G2)
Term 4 and 5	Unit 8 (W1-6)	Describing things and people Mother’s day at the zoo Tintin favourites	Talking about being (2) Postnominal adjective agreement Subject pronouns – il, elle – meaning ‘it’ Noun + préféré(e) Avoir meaning ‘be’ for age and states	Silent final ‘e’ [Sfe] SSC [ç], soft [c] SSC [ien] SSC [qu] SSC [j], soft [g]	Range of nouns Range of adjectives Months of the year (J)	I can… listen and read simple sentences and show understanding (L1/R1) match target SSC sounds to print (L2) sound out new words with target SSC (R3) say short sentences to describe things and people (S2/3) ask and answer simple information questions about what things are like and when (S1(a)/G4) use singular m/f nouns with definite & indefinite articles, and possessive adjectives (G2) use regular singular m/f adjectives after être (G3) use a dictionary (R5)
Term 6