French
French is an essential subject for realizing our motto, “Students of today, citizens of tomorrow,” by transforming students into global citizens capable of communicating and connecting across cultural divides. It directly addresses the need for linguistic and cultural competence in the modern world, making our students perceptive and internationally aware.
Learning a new language demands consistent verbal risk-taking. Students build immense confidence by actively speaking and practicing pronunciation, overcoming the fear of making mistakes in front of others. The necessary focus on grammar, vocabulary, and communication structures instils strong linguistic determination and the resilience required to achieve fluency and conceptual mastery. This perseverance is highly transferable.
Learning French naturally fosters respect for Francophone cultures, traditions, and ways of life through the study of literature, film, and geography. By stepping outside their linguistic comfort zone, students develop kindness and empathy, recognizing the effort required to communicate and appreciating the vast diversity of global expression. They become welcoming and inclusive communicators.
French promotes global responsibility by encouraging thoughtful, accurate communication and increasing international awareness. Students gain the critical skill of cultural literacy, enabling them to interpret information, engage ethically with people and media from different countries, and appreciate global issues from a nuanced perspective, thus preparing them to be perceptive and culturally sensitive citizens of tomorrow.
Rationale for French teaching at Ralph Sadleir School
At Ralph Sadleir School our intent is to establish a solid foundation in French by focusing on core knowledge (vocabulary, phonics, and grammar), which is then applied across the four key skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) to foster confidence, fluency, and a deep cultural appreciation. We aim to create an environment in which language learning is seen as enjoyable and an important part of becoming a citizen of the world.
Alignment with National Curriculum Aims
The curriculum is designed to meet the Purpose of Study and Aims for languages as set out in the NC, which views language learning as a “liberation from insularity”.
| NC Aim | Rationale for Implementation |
| Understand and respond to spoken and written language from authentic sources. | Lessons will prioritise receptive skills (listening and reading) as the basis for comprehension, utilising native speaker audio (provided with Expo) and varied text types. |
| Speak with increasing confidence, fluency, and spontaneity. | A communicative approach is balanced with phonics and pronunciation teaching (as emphasised in Expo), ensuring pupils can produce comprehensible speech. Oracy is a key focus, in line with the DfE’s move to new Oracy frameworks. Therefore speaking games are implemented frequently in order to promote confidence in speaking in a foreign language. |
| Write at varying length for different purposes, using varied grammatical structures. | Writing activities will progress from memorised phrases and short sentences (Year 5/6/7) to adapted, more complex prose with justifications and opinions (Year 8), building on the Expo resources’ clear grammatical foundation. |
| Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing and the culture. | Lessons will leverage the cultural introductions in Expo 1 and Expo 2 vert to explore the life and culture of France and other Francophone countries, encouraging a global outlook and appreciation of diversity. |
Pedagogical Approach: Evidence-Informed Practice
- Knowledge-Rich Curriculum: The curriculum is sequenced and coherent, prioritising the building blocks of language and following a set curriculum.
- Vocabulary: High-frequency, relevant vocabulary is taught explicitly and revisited systematically (spaced practice) across different units to ensure retention in long-term memory. Expo’s clear vocabulary lists support this.
- Phonics: Explicit teaching of sound-symbol correspondences and correct pronunciation is crucial (a strong feature of Expo), allowing pupils to decode, articulate, and increase their automatic word recognition.
- Grammar: Explicit but succinct descriptions of grammatical features (e.g., verb conjugations, tenses, adjectives agreement) are followed by scaffolded practice in both receptive and productive skills, as recommended by the DfE.
- Cognitive Load Management: Information is introduced in manageable chunks (as per the short, accessible units in Expo 1 and Expo 2 vert) to prevent overloading working memory, allowing for deep subject mastery.
- Progression and Mastery: Progress is defined as knowing more and remembering more. Lessons incorporate frequent retrieval practice (mini-tests, oral quizzes and other formative assessment) to consolidate learning. The use of the Vert level of Expo 2 is strategically chosen to provide a clear grammatical progression and adapted support for the full range of abilities in the early Key Stage 3 phase, ensuring all pupils feel successful in their learning. Expo 2 Rouge can be used as an extension for higher achieving pupils.
Rationale for Lesson Stimuli: Expo 1 and Expo 2 vert
The Expo series provides the structure, content, and clear progression needed to deliver a high-quality French curriculum across this age range, particularly supporting the transition from Key Stage 2 (Year 5/6) to Key Stage 3 (Year 7/8).
| Resource | Age/Stage Focus | Key Contribution to Rationale |
| Expo 1 | Year 5/6 | Provides a lively, motivating introduction to French. It focuses on basic phonics, core vocabulary (e.g., personal information, school, family), and simple sentence structures, laying the crucial linguistic foundation expected from Key Stage 2 and the start of Key Stage 3. |
| Expo 2 vert | Year 7 – Year 8 | Caters for the full range of abilities in the Key Stage 3 phase by offering clear grammatical progression and straightforward explanations. It builds on Expo 1 with more complex topics (e.g., future plans, past events), introducing present, past, and future tenses to enable communication beyond immediate needs, aligning with the Key Stage 3 NC requirement. |
| Shared Features | All stages | Explicit grammatical foundation, native speaker audio for pronunciation practice, differentiated activities, and an emphasis on cultural understanding. These features ensure the curriculum is ambitious, teachable, and accessible to all pupils. |
By using Expo 1 and the Expo 2 vert, our curriculum is positioned to sequence content logically, revisit core knowledge, and ensure pupils are prepared for further study while enjoying a stimulating and culturally rich learning experience.
Curriculum Overview
| Year 5 | |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
| Saying my name
Asking how you are Using the alphabet and French phonics Using numbers 1-20 Saying what is in your school bag Using colours |
Using masculine, feminine and plural colours
Days of the week Months of the year Saying when my birthday is Saying what is in my classroom |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
| Using extra vocabulary for brothers and sisters
Using possessive adjectives to describe my family To ask and answer if I have a pet Describing my height and personality |
Using masculine, feminine, singular and plural with animals
Describing physical appearance Using ‘avoir’ (to have) and ‘être’ (to be) Describing another person |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Talking about where people live using ‘je’ (I) and ‘tu’ (you)
Describing what my home is like Using ‘habiter’ (to live) Learning bedroom items vocabulary Using prepositions to say where things are |
Describing my bedroom
Saying what I do in the evening Using ‘on’ (we) to say what we do Learning to tell the time in French |
(In 2025-2026 Year 5 and Year 6 are following the same curriculum.)
| Year 6 | |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
| Saying my name
Asking how you are Using the alphabet and French phonics Using numbers 1-20 Saying what is in your school bag Using colours |
Using masculine, feminine and plural colours
Days of the week Months of the year Saying when my birthday is Saying what is in my classroom |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
| Using extra vocabulary for brothers and sisters
Using possessive adjectives to describe my family To ask and answer if I have a pet Describing my height and personality |
Using masculine, feminine, singular and plural with animals
Describing physical appearance Using ‘avoir’ (to have) and ‘être’ (to be) Describing another person |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Talking about where people live using ‘je’ (I) and ‘tu’ (you)
Describing what my home is like Using ‘habiter’ (to live) Learning bedroom items vocabulary Using prepositions to say where things are |
Describing my bedroom
Saying what I do in the evening Using ‘on’ (we) to say what we do Learning to tell the time in French |
| Year 7 | |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
| Revising personal descriptions
Using the verb ‘être’ (to be) Saying where I live using countries and compass points Saying what jobs people do Using weather types Saying what I do in different types of weather |
Saying what I play / do
Using infinitive phrases Using ‘nous’ (we) in the present tense Saying what you did and didn’t do (using negation) Using the verb ‘avoir’ (to have) Saying what I watched Learning different types of TV shows |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
| Using past tense phrases
Continuing to learn the past tense Using the 24 hour clock Using connectives to make longer sentences Using two tenses together Creating a spoken script using the past and present tense |
Learning how to say different types of clothes
Revising colours and masculine / feminine / plural agreements Using the third person Learning how to form the future tense Saying what I will wear and what other people will wear |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Describing outfits in detail
Reading longer passages Revising numbers Ordering clothes in a shop Revising past tense Using ‘être’ in the past tense to say where I went Asking and answering if I want to go out |
Using three tenses together
Recapping what we have learnt this year ‘La Francophonie’ project – researching a French speaking country, making and presenting a presentation in front of the class. |
| Year 8 | |
| Autumn 1 | Autumn 2 |
| Saying what I like to eat and drink
Saying what I eat for breakfast Recapping past and future tenses with food verbs Using ‘il faut’ infinitive phrases (one must) Using numbers in prices and quantities Using opinion phrases Comparing school dinners in France and England |
Learning names of countries
Learning nationalities Using ‘in’ correctly Learning how to use transport types Understanding how others travel Using reasons Revising opinions Saying what type of holiday you like and why Understanding what others usually do on holiday Creating a holiday brochure Present tense translation Giving opinions using infinitives Revising the difference between the past and present tenses |
| Spring 1 | Spring 2 |
| Continuing to use the present and past tenses together
Talking about a holiday in the past tense Understanding longer passages in the past tense Revising weather types Saying what holiday activities you do in different weathers Learning about Senegal and Senegalese tradition Talking about a holiday to Senegal in the past and present tense Recapping the future tense Writing about a holiday in the past, present and future tense |
Recapping how to describe myself and my friends
Using quantifiers Practicing speaking and listening skills with a long speaking piece introducing myself Saying how I spend my pocket money Learning words for technology in French Working with a team to sell a piece of technology to my class – focus on speaking and writing skills and oracy Preparing for our trip to Paris |
| Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
| Learning words for technology in French
Working with a team to sell a piece of technology to my class – focus on speaking and writing skills and oracy Focusing on consolidating my use of three tenses in listening, speaking, reading and writing Recapping all previously learnt vocabulary |
Revising for end of year assessment
Completing end of year assessments in all four key skills Completing a transition workbook to take to my new school |
