MFL - French
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages…” — Acts 2:4
At St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, we believe learning a language enriches education, broadens horizons, and deepens understanding of God’s diverse world. Through French, pupils develop communication skills, cultural awareness, and a sense of belonging to a global community.
Our curriculum is taught using the Grammarsaurus French scheme of work, ensuring clear progression across Years 3–6 so that pupils know more, remember more, and do more as they move through the school.
Our Catholic Ethos
We see language as a gift from God that enables connection, empathy, and unity. Through French, pupils learn to respect others and appreciate the shared humanity that unites us all.
Substantive Threads: Modern Foreign Languages
Through the Grammarsaurus curriculum, pupils progressively develop:
- Phonics & Pronunciation – recognising sounds and speaking with increasing accuracy
- Vocabulary – learning and applying words, phrases, and sentences
- Communication – listening, responding, asking and answering questions
- Reading & Writing – understanding and producing simple texts
- Grammar – building sentences using key structures (e.g. gender, agreement, verbs)
- Cultural Understanding – exploring French traditions, festivals, and daily life
Disciplinary Threads: Modern Foreign Languages
Pupils also learn how to learn a language through:
- Language Learning Skills – repetition, retrieval, and pattern recognition to support memory
- Communication Strategies – developing confidence through speaking, modelling, and collaboration
- Global Citizenship – understanding the value of languages in connecting people and cultures
Implementation
French is taught through engaging, interactive lessons that promote confidence and enjoyment. Using Grammarsaurus, teaching includes:
- A strong focus on speaking and listening in lower KS2
- Increasing opportunities for reading and writing in upper KS2
- Songs, games, and role-play to embed learning
- Structured progression and regular retrieval practice
- Support and challenge to ensure all pupils succeed
Impact
By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils will:
- Enjoy learning French and show curiosity about languages
- Communicate using simple spoken and written sentences
- Recall key vocabulary and grammatical structures
- Demonstrate progression across speaking, listening, reading, and writing
- Show respect for cultural diversity as part of God’s creation
- Be well prepared for language learning at Key Stage 3
French Day 2026
French Day – 3rd July 🇫🇷🥐
On 3rd July, we celebrated French Day across the school! The children embraced the day by dressing in the colours of the French flag and taking part in a range of activities designed to help them explore the language, culture and traditions of France.
For our KS2 children, we were delighted to welcome Sir Roger Manwood’s Sixth Form students, who led some fantastic and engaging sessions about French culture and celebrations. The children learnt about different French traditions while taking part in fun quizzes, dance breaks and interactive activities – and there were even some French sweets to enjoy!
We also had the opportunity to dine like true French people, enjoying delicious croissants alongside chocolate milk. It was a lovely way to experience a little taste of French culture!
Our younger children enjoyed exploring the French flag through colouring activities, listening to French songs and even watching cartoons in French. These activities gave them a fun and accessible introduction to the French language and helped them to see that learning a new language can be exciting and enjoyable.
It was wonderful to see the whole school getting involved and celebrating the richness of another language and culture.
A massive thank you to Sir Roger Manwood’s Sixth Form students for coming to spend the day with us and for delivering such fun, engaging and memorable sessions. We hope to continue working together in the future and look forward to welcoming you back to St Mary’s!