At Gedney Church End Primary Academy, we believe that learning another language broadens children's horizons and opens their minds to languages, cultures and ways of life beyond their own. Through French, we want children to develop curiosity, confidence and a willingness to communicate, while establishing strong foundations for future language learning.

French is taught throughout Key Stage 2, with learning carefully sequenced so that children build upon, revisit and apply what they have previously learned. Our curriculum develops the interconnected skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, enabling children to move from recognising and rehearsing new language towards recalling and using it with increasing confidence and independence.

A strong emphasis is placed on phonics, pronunciation and spoken language. Children learn to listen carefully to the sounds and patterns of French, imitate accurate pronunciation and develop the confidence to speak aloud. They are encouraged to respond to questions, rehearse phrases and communicate using the vocabulary and structures they have learned. French phonics and pronunciation are explicitly included within both LKS2 curriculum cycles, providing important foundations for later learning. 

Our curriculum is designed so that learning connects and accumulates over time. In LKS2, children establish foundations through contexts including introducing themselves, days and months, food, animals, seasons, shapes, abilities and instruments. In UKS2, previous learning is deliberately revisited before children extend their knowledge through contexts such as dates, family, the classroom, pets, home, the local area and everyday activities. This planned revisiting helps children retrieve previously learned language, make connections and use familiar knowledge in new contexts.

We use Language Angels to support the delivery and sequencing of our French curriculum. Rather than viewing French as a series of separate topics or vocabulary lists, we want children to develop an increasingly connected understanding of the language. Previously learned vocabulary, sounds and language structures are revisited and applied so that children become increasingly able to understand and communicate rather than simply remember individual words.

Language learning also encourages children to notice similarities, differences and patterns between languages. We encourage children to think about how French works, make connections with their existing knowledge of language and become increasingly willing to work things out for themselves. In doing so, children develop not only their knowledge of French but also the confidence and strategies that will support them when encountering other languages in the future.

Learning French also helps to broaden children's understanding of the wider world. Children are encouraged to develop curiosity about and respect for languages and cultures beyond their own, recognising that communicating in another language allows us to connect with other people and experience different perspectives.

Our SPARK values are reflected naturally through language learning. Children develop Self-belief by having the confidence to communicate in an unfamiliar language, Perseverance through practising and improving pronunciation and recalling previously learned language, and Aspiration by recognising where language learning may take them in the future. Respect and Kindness are promoted through listening to others, supporting one another and developing an appreciation of different languages and cultures.

Ultimately, we want children to leave Gedney Church End with secure foundations in French and, importantly, the confidence and enthusiasm to continue learning languages. We want them to remember and apply what they have learned, communicate with increasing independence, recognise patterns and connections within language and approach the next stage of their language-learning journey with curiosity, resilience and a belief that they can succeed.