French at Heston Primary School
National Curriculum
The national curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:
- understand and respond to spoken and written French from a variety of authentic sources;
- speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation;
- are able to write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt;
- discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in French.
French Vision
Learning a foreign language is a necessary part of being a member of a multi-cultural society and provides an opening to other cultures. Our languages education at Heston Primary aims to foster children's curiosity, inspire a love of language learning and deepen their understanding and respect of the world. The teaching enables children to express their ideas and thoughts in French and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It also provides opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in French. Our language teaching provides the foundation for learning further languages, equipping children to study and work in other countries, playing a valuable part in our global society.
As young linguists, we strive for our learners to be: Global citizens, Language Detectives, Young travellers and Code-breakers!
Our French Curriculum
At Heston Primary, we teach French as our modern foreign language.
French is taught weekly in Years 3 to 6.
Based on the Rachel Hawkes’ scheme of work, our French curriculum has been adapted and carefully sequenced so that previous learning is revisited and built upon. We have three key strands of language running throughout our French lessons: phonics, vocabulary and grammar. Early on, we focus on teaching phonics and pupils are encouraged to use this phonics knowledge to help them read and correctly pronounce new French words. Key vocabulary, such as numbers, days of the week and colours, is returned to regularly to ensure that our pupils remember it. When teaching grammar, we make links with primary English, provide explicit explanation and then use this in both speaking and writing.
Our learners are given opportunities to understand and communicate their ideas, facts and feelings in speech and in writing, focusing on familiar and routine matters. ‘Language detective’ skills are nurtured throughout, for example, comparing with English words or words from our pupils’ languages. Where possible, we make links to other subjects, for example studying the work of French artists in art. Pupils also develop their intercultural understanding by finding out about what it is like to live in France and other French-speaking countries. They enjoy learning about celebrations in France and comparing them to their own celebrations.
For more information about our French Curriculum, please contact the school office; we will provide you with our subject matrices and knowledge organisers for this area. Other details around our curriculum activities and offer, can be accessed by parents/carers on HestonLink (school's online learning platform).