Primary Languages - French

At Occold Primary School, the intention of our Primary Languages curriculum is to develop an interest in and thirst for learning other languages.

Currently, our Key Stage Two pupils learn French.

We introduce the learning of the French language in year 3 where our children will begin to develop key language skills set out by the National Curriculum. As our children progress through the school, they will gain the confidence to have a go at speaking in French. By the end of their time with us, we aim for our children to have embedded the essential skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing in French. 

In addition to French, we want to give our children as wide a range of language opportunities and experiences as possible. We recognise the influence that Europe has on our lives and as the UK is becoming an increasingly multicultural society, we have a duty to provide our children with an understanding of other cultures and languages. 

We are fortunate to have children who speak various languages in our school including:

• Spanish
• Malay
• Filipino

We love providing these children with opportunities to share their language.

Recently, through our language-focused assemblies, we have selected different languages around the world to explore together. We have also spent time learning about different cultures. 

Each year, we celebrate European Languages Day. In 2026, our focus countries were Croatia, Holland and Portugal. In 2025, we explored Greece, Italy and Switzerland.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.

Nelson Mandela,  President of South Africa.