French

Subject Intent

 
The French department seeks to develop ambitious and resilient linguists who recognise their common humanity and strive to gain inter-cultural understanding and respect.
We aim to provide an understanding of French in a range of themes (Identities, Education, Town, Holidays, Leisure, Healthy living, Environment, Charities and Global events) which enables students to communicate effectively in authentic situations on their exchange visits and prepared for the challenges of developing the language at a higher level in GCSE and with an aspiration to continue the language in the Sixth Form. We intend to develop our students to be inquisitive and curious about Francophone cultures, knowledgeable and understanding, open-minded and courageous as they personally develop through their learning of French. 

Subject Implementation

The French department uses an array of strategies to engage students and tackle the five key skills of Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking and Translation. We use regular 10-point testing to build memory, modelling, flipped learning to give students ownership, interactive competitions to engage, and group and pair work to build teamwork and communication skills. Lessons are differentiated to meet the varying needs of students and the FCSE course provides an alternative for a select group of our year 10 and 11 students. Our implementation goes beyond the classroom walls and is enriched through a wealth of extracurricular activities both in school through clinics and enrichment days and overseas through our extensive exchange programmes with our partner schools in Avignon, Dinan, Lyon and Paris.  Our students are also open to the opportunity to broaden their potential further through work experience placements overseas if they continue through to the 6th Form. 

Subject Impact

We strive to achieve at least ALPS Grade 3, meaning that our students are well above average, and we work towards achieving even better results each year. However, not only do we achieve a strong set of examination results, but our impact also goes far beyond data. Our students become well rounded and understanding individuals who show a cultural understanding and enthusiasm towards to languages.