Overview
Our Modern Foreign Languages curriculum is designed to equip students with the knowledge, confidence and cultural understanding needed to communicate effectively in another language and to develop as global citizens.
The curriculum is carefully sequenced and follows a spiral model where key vocabulary, grammar and language skills are revisited systematically throughout Key Stage 3 and 4. Rather than viewing learning as a series of isolated topics, students continually return to previously taught content in increasingly challenging contexts. This approach strengthens long-term retention, deepens understanding and enables all students to build securely on prior learning as they progress.
At the heart of our curriculum is a focus on high-frequency vocabulary and core grammatical structures. By prioritising the language that students are most likely to encounter and use, we enable them to communicate with increasing fluency, accuracy and independence. Frequent retrieval and purposeful practice ensure that essential language becomes embedded in students' long-term memory.
Alongside developing linguistic competence, our curriculum seeks to cultivate a genuine curiosity about the wider world. Through the study of languages, students explore the cultures, traditions and perspectives of different countries and communities, encouraging them to appreciate diversity, challenge stereotypes and develop an empathetic, outward-looking mindset. We want students to leave our classrooms not only with stronger communication skills, but also with a greater understanding of the interconnected world in which they live.
Ultimately, our ambition is for every student to develop the confidence to communicate, the resilience to embrace linguistic challenge and the curiosity to engage with people, cultures and opportunities beyond their own experiences.
Autumn Term
Content and Skills
Me, my family, and friends
Students will learn to talk about themselves and the people around them.
They will be introduced to vocabulary to greet one another, describe personality and physical characteristics, and talk
about their family and friends.
The grammar focus will be the use of the definite and indefinite article, gender of nouns, and consequential adjectival agreement rules.
How is it assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Describing the people in a picture
Summative assessment
- Read aloud task
- Multiple choice listening questions
- Translation into English
- Picture description task
Spring Term
Content and Skills
School
Students will learn to talk about their life at school.
They will learn vocabulary to describe their timetable and learn to give opinions about their different subjects. They will also learn how to describe different parts of their school uniform.
The grammar focus will be the use of the definite article following an opinion verb as well as forming comparative structures using plus/moins ... que.
How is is assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Reading parallel texts
- Giving opinions and making comparisons in writing
No summative assessment
Summer Term
Content and Skills
Free time
Students will learn to talk about what they do in their free time and where they do these activities.
They will be introduced to a range of regular and irregular verbs and adverbs of frequency to discuss what they do and how often, as well as rooms in the house and places in town.
The grammar focus will be the conjugation of regular and key irregular verbs in the present tense, word order rules with adverbs of frequency, and the use of an infinitive verb after an opinion verb.
How is it assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Formation of regular –er verbs and key irregular verbs in present tense
Summative assessment
- Read aloud task
- Multiple choice listening questions
- Multiple choice reading questions
- Translation into English
- Picture description task
- Short writing task in response to stimulus points
Autumn Term
Content and Skills
Holidays
Students will learn to talk about past holidays.
They will be introduced to vocabulary to talk about countries they have been to, modes of transport, different types of accommodation, holiday activities, and types of weather.
The grammar focus will be the formation of the perfect tense using the S.A.P. structure, using different prepositions with countries or modes of transport, and forming longer sentences using quand.
How is it assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Grammar testing – formation of perfect tense
Summative assessment
- Read aloud task
- Multiple choice listening questions
- Multiple choice reading questions
- Translation into English
- Short writing task in response to stimulus points
Spring Term
Content and Skills
Music, TV and film
Students will learn to talk about what music they like to listen to, and the types of TV programmes and films they like to watch.
They will learn how to express more complex opinions alongside the topic vocabulary.
The grammar focus will be forming comparative structures using meilleur/pire ... que and the use of direct object pronouns to give opinions (je le/la/les trouve).
Film study
Students will watch the film Les Choristes and do a short film study, where they will describe what type of film they have watched and give a brief overview of its plot. They will also look at the characters and make comparisons between them, retrieving vocabulary to describe their personality and physical characteristics.
How is it assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Reading parallel texts
- Giving opinions and making comparisons in writing
No summative assessment
Summer Term
Content and Skills
Customs and festivals
Students will learn about the wider Francophone world and traditional customs and festivals.
They will learn which countries around the world speak French and learn about their culture, including food and drink from these areas.
The grammar focus will be the use of the partitive article after on mange/on boit, and the formation of the conditional form using je voudrais + infinitive verb.
How is it assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Formation of regular –er verbs and key irregular verbs in present tense
Summative assessment
- Read aloud task
- Multiple choice listening questions
- Multiple choice reading questions
- Translation into English and French
- Short writing task in response to stimulus points
Autumn Term
Content and Skills
My life online
Students will learn to talk about what they do online, who they follow, and assess the pros and cons of social media.
They will be introduced to vocabulary to talk about a range of online activities, as well as discourse markers to use in extended writing when discussing advantages and disadvantages.
The grammar focus will be the formation of regular -er verbs in the present tense and using direct object pronouns to talk about who they follow online and why (je le/la suis, je l’admire).
How is it assessed?:
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Sound symbol correspondence for dictation
- Grammar testing – formation of regular –er verbs in present tense
Summative assessment
- Read aloud task
- Multiple choice listening questions
- Multiple choice reading questions
- Extended writing task in response to stimulus points
Spring Term
Content and Skills
Future plans
To link in with the Y9 options process, students will learn to talk about what they are going to do in the future in terms of study and work.
They will be introduced to vocabulary about different types of jobs and further education.
The grammar focus will be the formation of the near future tense and the conditional form using je voudrais + infinitive verb.
How will it be assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Sound symbol correspondence for dictation
- Grammar testing – formation of near future tense
No summative assessment
Summer Term
Content and Skills
The natural world
Students will learn to talk about the world around them, including environmental problems and what they must do to protect the planet.
The grammar focus will be forming superlative structures, and using modal verbs such as on peut, on doit, il faut + infinitive verb.
How will it be assessed?
Formative assessment
- Vocabulary testing
- Reading aloud (pronunciation of key phonemes)
- Sound symbol correspondence for dictation
Summative assessment
- Read aloud task
- Multiple choice listening questions
- Dictation
- Multiple choice reading questions
- Translation into English and French
- Short writing task in response to stimulus points
Here are the links to our exam specifications:
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/french-2024.html
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-gcses/german-2024.html
Here is the link to our exam specification:
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/french/a-level/french-7652/specification