Northside children really embrace learning French in school, which is a joy, because it is so useful cognitively for their learning in all subjects.   They are so good at finding strategies to remember words, or connections to words in their own language, for example.  We have a beautiful display of children’s work outside the staffroom as well as a white board on entry to the school, which has the French date and weather updated daily, by a rotation of children in Year 5.  

This term we are very much looking forward to welcoming fifty year 5 and 6 age students from École Georges Dortet in Fontenay aux Roses, SW Paris. As a school, we have been learning songs to sing with them in a special assembly on 25th March 2026; Au Bout de Mes Reves by Kids United, and John Lennon's Imagine. 

Year 6 have been learning how to describe what subjects they learn at school, what time and day they have those subjects and how they feel about different subjects they learn, giving reasons for those feelings! e.g. J'adore le francais parcel que c'est amusant.  The children also received and responded to letters from their French student pen pals, which was very exciting, as well as making bookmarks and chatterboxes for the day the French students visit us.

Year 5 have learnt how to describe body parts with colour adjectives. Describing nouns with adjectives requires very different grammar rules to English! Like year 6, the children have received and responded to their pen pal letters, learnt to sing Au bout de mes Reves with excellent pronunciation and they are creating gifts and resources from the French school visit.

Year 4 have learnt very useful skills - how to order food and drink in a French tea room!  They have had an immersive experience of their classroom becoming the tea room, with real food and drink, and pretend money. They had to speak French to each other to 'order', and 'ask for the bill' and then pay using their 'Euro' money.

Year 3 have learnt how to say they play a variety of instruments in French, focusing on French phonics and imbedding that correct pronunciation.  They are currently learning the vocabulary used in the Little Red Riding Hood story and listening to a simplified version of it in French, listening out for the words and finding strategies to help them remember them.

Mrs Goldhill
French leader and Music Teacher