Modern Foreign Languages (French)

At Barrowford St Thomas CE Primary School, we have decided to teach French. French is only taught in Key Stage 2.

Throughout KS2, we aim to provide an appropriate balance of spoken and written language and lay the foundations for further foreign language teaching at key stage 3. Our aim is to enable pupils to understand and communicate ideas, facts and feelings in speech and writing, focused on familiar and routine matters, using their knowledge of phonology, grammatical structures and vocabulary.

The focus of study in French will be on practical communication.

Our pupils will be taught to:

• listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding
• explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words
• engage in conversations; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help
• speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures
• develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud or using familiar words and phrases
• present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences
• read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing
• appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language
• broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary
• write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly
• describe people, places, things and actions orally and in writing
• understand basic grammar appropriate to the language being studied, including (where relevant): feminine, masculine and neuter forms and the conjugation of high-frequency verbs; key features and patterns of the language; how to apply these, for instance, to build sentences; and how these differ from or are similar to English.

Progression in Key Learning (knowledge)

Scheme of Work

At Barrowford St Thomas, we use the online scheme, Rigalo. (click here)

Rigolo is an exciting French course for Key Stage 2. It is not a traditional language course as it combines a variety of digital and traditional media. Its structure serves the dual purpose of making French accessible and exciting to pupils, and of providing the classroom teacher with a
flexible route through the range of resources.

Rigolo is a fully blended course, allowing the planning of taught lessons and flexible learning with the suite of multimedia materials. It is designed for use with an interactive whiteboard, so that the whole class can work on the activities, particularly useful where time is precious. The
course is closely matched to the Key Stage 2 Framework, both in its selection of teaching and learning activities, and in its promotion of language-learning strategies and development of knowledge about how the language works.

Rigalo 1 is for Years 3 and 4.

Rigalo 2 is for Years 5 and 6.

Rigalo KS2 Framework grids and schemes of work