According to Key Stage 2 National Curriculum Expectations pupils should 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.

Listening and Speaking

Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

Children listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.

Children can:

• repeat modelled words;
• listen and show understanding of single words through physical response;
• repeat modelled short phrases;
• listen and show understanding of short phrases through physical response.

Children engage in conversation; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help.

Children can:

• recognise a familiar question and respond with a simple rehearsed response;
• ask and answer a simple and familiar question with a response;
• express simple opinions such as likes, dislikes and preferences;
• ask and answer at least two simple and familiar questions with a response.

Children speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures.

Children can:

• name objects and actions and may link words with a simple connective;
• use familiar vocabulary to say a short sentence using a language scaffold;
• speak about everyday activities and interests; d refer to recent experiences or future plans.

Children develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are using familiar words and phrases.

Children can:

• identify individual sounds in words and pronounce accurately when modelled;
• start to recognise the sound of some letter strings in familiar words and pronounce when modelled;
• adapt intonation to ask questions or give instructions;
• show awareness of accents, elisions and silent letters; begin to pronounce words accordingly.

Children present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences.

Children can:

• name nouns and present a simple rehearsed statement to a partner;
• present simple rehearsed statements about themselves, objects and people to a partner;
• present ideas and information in simple sentences using familiar and rehearsed language to a partner or a small group of people.

Children describe people, places, things and actions orally.

Children can:

• say simple familiar words to describe people, places, things and actions using a model;
• say a simple phrase that may contain an adjective to describe people, places, things and actions using a language scaffold;
• say one or two short sentences that may contain an adjective to describe people, places, things and actions.

Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

Children listen attentively to spoken language and show understanding by joining in and responding.

Children can:

• listen and show understanding of simple sentences containing familiar words through physical response;
• listen and understand the main points from short, spoken material in French;
• listen and understand the main points and some detail from short, spoken material in French.

Children engage in conversation; ask and answer questions; express opinions and respond to those of others; seek clarification and help.

Children can:

• engage in a short conversation using a range of simple, familiar questions;
• ask and answer more complex questions with a scaffold of responses;
• express a wider range of opinions and begin to provide simple justification;
• converse briefly without prompts.

Children speak in sentences, using familiar vocabulary, phrases and basic language structures.

Children can:

• say a longer sentence using familiar language;
• use familiar vocabulary to say several longer sentences using a language scaffold;
• refer to everyday activities and interests, recent experiences and future plans;
• vary language and produce extended responses.

Children develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are using familiar words and phrases.

Children can:

• pronounce familiar words accurately using knowledge of letter string sounds to support, observing silent letter rules;
• appreciate the impact of accents and elisions on sound and apply increasingly confidently when pronouncing words;
• start to predict the pronunciation of unfamiliar words in a sentence using knowledge of letter strings, liaison and silent letter rules;
• adapt intonation, for example to mark questions and exclamations.

Children present ideas and information orally to a range of audiences.

Children can:

• manipulate familiar language to present ideas and information in simple sentences;
• present a range of ideas and information, using prompts, to a partner or a small group of people;
• present a range of ideas and information, without prompts, to a partner or a group of people.

Children describe people, places, things and actions orally.

Children can:

• say several simple sentences containing adjectives to describe people, places, things and actions using a language scaffold;
• manipulate familiar language to describe people, places, things and actions, maybe using a dictionary;
• use a wider range of descriptive language in their descriptions of people, places, things and actions.

Reading and Writing

Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

Children read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.

Children can:

• read and show understanding of familiar single words;
• read and show understanding of simple phrases and sentences containing familiar words.

Children broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary.

Children can:

• use strategies for memorisation of vocabulary;
• make links with English or known language to work out the meaning of new words;
• use context to predict the meaning of new words; d begin to use a bilingual dictionary to find the meaning of individual words in French and English.

Children develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud familiar words and phrases.

Children can:

• identify individual sounds in words and pronounce accurately when modelled;
• start to read and recognise the sound of some letter strings in familiar words and pronounce when modelled;
• adapt intonation to ask questions;
• show awareness of accents, elisions and silent letters; begin to pronounce words accordingly.

Children write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly.

Children can:

• write single familiar words from memory with understandable accuracy;
• write familiar short phrases from memory with understandable accuracy;
• replace familiar vocabulary in short phrases written from memory to create new short phrases.

Children describe people, places, things and actions in writing.

Children can:

• copy simple familiar words to describe people, places, things and actions using a model;
• write a simple phrase that may contain an adjective to describe people, places, things and actions using a language scaffold;
• write one or two simple sentences that may contain an adjective to describe people, places, things and actions.

Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

Children read carefully and show understanding of words, phrases and simple writing.

Children can:

• read and show understanding of simple sentences containing familiar and some unfamiliar language;
• read and understand the main points from short, written material;
• read and understand the main points and some detail from short, written material.

Children broaden their vocabulary and develop their ability to understand new words that are introduced into familiar written material, including through using a dictionary.

Children can:

• use a range of strategies to determine the meaning of new words (links with known language, cognates, etymology, context);
• use a bilingual dictionary to identify the word class;
• use a bilingual paper/online dictionary to find the meaning of unfamiliar words and phrases in French and in English.

Children develop accurate pronunciation and intonation so that others understand when they are reading aloud familiar words and phrases.

Children can:

• read and pronounce familiar words accurately using knowledge of letter string sounds to support, observing silent letter rules;
• appreciate the impact of accents and elisions on sound and apply increasingly confidently when pronouncing words;
• start to predict the pronunciation of unfamiliar words in a sentence using knowledge of letter strings, liaison and silent letter rules; d adapt intonation for example to mark questions and exclamations in a short, written passage.

Children write phrases from memory, and adapt these to create new sentences, to express ideas clearly.

Children can:

• write a simple sentence from memory using familiar language;
• write several sentences from memory with familiar language with understandable accuracy;
• replace vocabulary in sentences written from memory to create new sentences with understandable accuracy.

Children describe people, places, things and actions in writing.

Children can:

• write several simple sentences containing adjectives to describe people, places, things and actions using a language scaffold;
• manipulate familiar language to describe people, places, things and actions, maybe using a dictionary;
• use a wider range of descriptive language in their descriptions of people, places, things and actions.

Stories, Songs, Poems and Rhymes

Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

Children explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words.

Children can:

• listen and identify specific words in songs and rhymes and demonstrate understanding;
• listen and identify specific phrases in songs and rhymes and demonstrate understanding.

Children appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language.

Children can:

• join in with actions to accompany familiar songs, stories and rhymes;
• join in with words of a song or storytelling.

• Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

  Children explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words.

  Children can:

• listen and identify rhyming words and specific sounds in songs and rhymes;
• follow the text of familiar songs and rhymes, identifying the meaning of words;
• read the text of familiar songs and rhymes and identify patterns of language and link sound to spelling.

• Children appreciate stories, songs, poems and rhymes in the language.

  Children can:

• follow the text of a familiar song or story; 
• follow the text of a familiar song or story and read aloud;
• understand the gist of an unfamiliar story or song using familiar language and read or sing aloud.

Grammar

Lower Key Stage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

Children 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.

Children can:

• show awareness of word classes – nouns, adjectives, verbs and connectives and be aware of similarities in English;
• name the gender of nouns; name the indefinite and definite articles for both genders and use correctly; say how to make the plural form of nouns;
• recognise and use partitive articles;
• name the first and second person singular subject pronouns; use the correct form of some regular and high frequency verbs in the present tense with first and second person;
• name the third person singular subject pronouns; use the present tense of some high frequency verbs in the third person singular;
• use a simple negative form (ne… pas);
• show awareness of the position and masculine/feminine agreement of adjectives and start to demonstrate use;
• recognise and use the first person possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes);
• recognise a high frequency verb in the imperfect tense and in the simple future and use as a set phrase;
• conjugate a high frequency verb (aller – to go) in the present tense; show awareness of subject-verb agreement;
• use simple prepositions in their sentences;
• use the third person singular and plural of the verb ‘être’ in the present tense.

Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

Children 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.

Children can:

• identify word classes;
• demonstrate understanding of gender and number of nouns and use appropriate determiners;
• explain and apply the rules of position and agreement of adjectives with increasing accuracy and confidence;
• name and use a range of conjunctions to create compound sentences;
• use some adverbs;
• demonstrate the use of first, second and third person singular pronouns with some regular and high frequency verbs in present tense and apply subject-verb agreement;
• explain and use elision; state the differences and similarities with English;
• recognise and use the simple future tense of a high frequency verb; compare with English;
• recognise and use the immediate future tense of familiar verbs in the first, second and third person singular; explain how it’s formed;
• recognise and use the first and third person singular possessive adjectives (mon, ma, mes, son, sa, ses);
• recognise and use a range of prepositions;
• use the third person plural of a few high frequency verbs in the present tense;
• name all subject pronouns and use to conjugate a high frequency verb in the present tense;
• recognise and use a high frequency verb in the perfect tense; compare with English;
• follow a pattern to conjugate a regular verb in the present tense;
• choose the correct tense of a verb (present / perfect / imperfect / future) according to context.