French

Modern Foreign Languages Leader: Mrs Rebekah Nelson

Rebekah is responsible for the research, development and implementation of the French (MFL) curriculum at Northstead. She oversees the teaching of French across Key Stage 2, ensuring lessons are engaging, accessible, and supportive of every child’s learning journey. With a strong focus on speaking and listening, Mrs. Nelson aims to build children’s confidence and curiosity in using French both in and beyond the classroom.  

French at Northstead Community Primary School – A Parent’s Guide

At Northstead, all children in Key Stage 2 learn French using the Primary Languages Network scheme. Our goal is to give every child a strong foundation in the French language, preparing them for continued success in secondary school.

What Do Our Children Learn?

• Children are introduced to key French vocabulary and conversational phrases.
• Lessons are taught through engaging videos by native French speakers, helping children learn correct pronunciation.
• Topics follow the National Curriculum and build knowledge gradually across each year.

How Do We Teach French?

Each lesson is carefully structured to support children’s language learning:

1. Learning objective – Children are introduced to the day’s focus and success criteria.
2. Retrieval – Short recap activities reinforce previous learning.
3. Learn – New words or phrases are taught via video.
4. Task – Children demonstrate what they’ve learned through speaking, writing or games.
5. Self-assessment – Children reflect on how confident they feel with the new language.

Resources and Activities

• Children access age-appropriate resources to support their learning, including videos, songs, games and worksheets.
• Lessons are interactive and focus on listening, speaking, reading and writing in French.

Recording Learning

• Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3–4) use class ‘Big Books’ to record group learning with photos, vocabulary and phrases.
• Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5–6) use individual books to practice writing in French, including writing dates and lesson titles in French.

Assessment and Progress

• Children assess their own understanding at the end of each lesson through a simple ‘assessment cloud’ discussion.
• Teachers use these reflections and class observations to adapt lessons and support all learners.