French

Statement of Intent

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language that goes to his heart.”  Nelson Mandela

Our vision in the French department is that all language learners develop the skills and confidence to consider themselves as ‘World Citizens’ who belong in a multicultural, mutually respectful world. We aim to support students to understand other countries and cultures so that they can be more open and adaptable to new experiences. The department is committed to developing strong, lifelong linguistic skills and to encouraging students to become curious and interested in the world. We do this via our cultural extra-curricular offering including, language-based trips to France, national competitions and the Language Leaders Award. We aim to prepare students to become global citizens and compete for jobs in the international marketplace by inspiring a lifelong love of languages and developing independent language learning skills through an emphasis on linguistic manipulation, grammar and authentic materials.

KS3: Our French KS3 curriculum is balanced and sequenced appropriately in order to develop the attributes and qualities needed to understand and participate confidently in French. It has been developed using current research in language teaching and learning. The main aim is to ensure all students have the foundation for learning further languages and to equip them to study French at GCSE and/or in a further education or work setting.

KS4: The KS4 Scheme of Work has also been developed using current research in language teaching and learning. It provides a high level of challenge as language learning is demanding and requires resilience and perseverance. Students are explicitly taught the need for continual practice to develop their skills as a linguist. The process of modelling and deliberate practice requires recall and retrieval of prior knowledge of vocabulary and grammatical structures, revisiting and extending language, and applying it in a new topic. Misconceptions and gaps in learning are addressed throughout the learning process.

KS5: The KS4 skills are all developed further during our A Level courses, with the additional skill of “summary writing” for both reading and listening. Teaching is designed to ensure the experience of all learners is engaging and creates a passion for French. It is based on high quality and well-planned strategies that lead to every individual being fully supported and challenged to meet their potential.

Resources:

Language Gym
Linguascope
A Tantôt
GCSEpod
BBC Bitesize KS3 and 4
Authentic material (film, music, online magazines and newspapers)

Beyond the classroom:   

Year 7 – French club
Year 8 – Residential trip to the Opal Coast
Year 9 – Language Leaders Award; European Day of Languages
KS4 – Residential trip to Paris; national translation competition; language day with the University of Essex; visit to the French Institute in London; watching a French play
KS5 – Residential trip to Paris; language day with the university of Essex; visit to the French institute in London