At St Edward’s Primary School, our carefully planned and progressive MFL curriculum is designed to provide all children with a high-quality languages education. This allows them to explore a different culture, foster their curiosity, and deepen their understanding of the world around them while meeting National Curriculum expectations. All pupils will:

• Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources.
• Speak with increasing confidence, fluency, and spontaneity, finding ways to communicate their ideas through discussion and questioning while improving pronunciation and intonation.
• Write at varying lengths for different purposes and audiences, using the grammatical structures they have learned.
• Discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

We have adopted the CUSP French curriculum from Year 3 to Year 6, ensuring full coverage of the 2014 National Curriculum while following evidence-led best practices for teaching and learning.

Our aim is to develop pupils’ understanding and communication in a new language by progressing their speaking and listening skills. Throughout their lessons, which align with the core aims of the National Curriculum, children engage in activities that encourage correct pronunciation and grammar. Vocabulary and phrases are introduced through practical activities such as games and songs, and pupils work in pairs or small groups to communicate in a modern foreign language while developing an understanding of basic grammar.

In Key Stage 2, children enhance their language skills through the four main areas of study: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Our curriculum strongly supports pupils in developing a meaningful understanding of other cultures and global issues. We chose CUSP French because of its emphasis on French customs, traditions, and heritage—highlighting both similarities and differences between French culture and pupils’ own experiences in modern Britain. The curriculum introduces significant French figures, landmarks, and historical achievements, as well as the geography of France and its global role in trade and culture. Staff are encouraged to link this learning to other subjects, such as art, music, and history, to provide a rich and interconnected learning experience.