At St Mary's, we believe that language learning should inspire curiosity, communication and an appreciation of different cultures. In the Infant phase, pupils are encouraged to explore and enjoy a range of languages through songs, rhymes, stories, games and other engaging media, developing early listening skills and an awareness of the diversity of languages and cultures around them. Formal Modern Foreign Languages teaching begins in Year 3, when pupils start learning French.

Across Key Stage 2, the curriculum is carefully sequenced to build progressively in listening, speaking, reading, writing and grammar. Pupils move from recognising and responding to familiar words and phrases, asking and answering simple questions, and reading and writing basic vocabulary, to understanding longer spoken and written texts, engaging in extended conversations, expressing opinions, applying increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation, and composing their own sentences and short texts.

As pupils progress through Years 3 to 6, they develop a deeper understanding of French grammar, including word classes, gender, adjective agreement, verb conjugation, questions and negatives, enabling them to communicate with growing confidence, independence and accuracy. This progression supports our vision of developing confident learners who belong together and are challenged to contribute in an increasingly interconnected world.