French

French at Northallerton School & Sixth Form College develops confident communicators who can understand and express ideas clearly in both spoken and written French.

Our curriculum is carefully sequenced from Year 8 to Year 11 to build:

  • Secure phonics and pronunciation

  • Core vocabulary and grammatical accuracy

  • Fluency in speaking and writing

  • Cultural understanding of Francophone countries

Lessons follow a structured Model–Assess–Practise (MAP) approach to ensure students develop both accuracy and confidence.

 

Key Stage 3

Curriculum Intent

French begins in Year 8.

At Key Stage 3, students develop:

  • Secure phonics and pronunciation

  • Core vocabulary across familiar contexts

  • Understanding of present, past and future tenses

  • Structured sentence building and translation skills

The curriculum progressively builds grammatical knowledge to prepare students for GCSE.

KS3 Curriculum Overview

Term Year 7 Year 8 Year 9
Autumn Term 1 — Introduction to French & Phonics Identity & Relationships
Autumn Term 2 — Family & Descriptions School & Education
Spring Term 1 — School & Free Time Free Time & Hobbies
Spring Term 2 — Holidays (Past Tense) Holidays (Multiple Tenses)
Summer Term 1 — Local Area Technology & Media
Summer Term 2 — Food & Culture Health & Lifestyle

Year 9 strengthens use of multiple tenses and develops more extended speaking and writing in preparation for GCSE.

Key Stage 4 (GCSE French – AQA)

Students study the AQA GCSE specification, developing skills across:

  • Listening

  • Speaking

  • Reading

  • Writing

Themes include:

  • Identity and culture

  • Local, national and global areas of interest

  • Current and future study and employment

Grammar progression includes:

  • Present, past and future tenses

  • Conditional tense

  • Higher-tier structures and idiomatic expressions

KS4 Curriculum Overview

Term Year 10 Year 11
Autumn Term 1 Identity & Relationships Revision: Theme 1
Autumn Term 2 Free Time & Media Revision: Theme 2
Spring Term 1 School & Future Plans Revision: Theme 3
Spring Term 2 Holidays & Travel Speaking Preparation
Summer Term 1 Local Area & Environment Listening & Reading Practice
Summer Term 2 Health & Lifestyle Final Exam Preparation

Year 11 includes structured speaking preparation and targeted revision informed by assessment data.

Sixth Form

French is currently offered to GCSE level only.

Literacy, Careers and Personal Development

Across all key stages:

  • Phonics is explicitly taught to ensure confident pronunciation

  • Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary is revisited regularly

  • Grammar is explicitly modelled and practised

  • Cultural knowledge of Francophone countries is embedded

Careers linked to French include:

  • International business

  • Tourism

  • Translation and interpreting

  • Diplomacy

  • Teaching

  • Global organisations

Students develop resilience, confidence and global awareness through structured speaking practice and cultural exploration.