French
The study of languages opens pupils’ minds to a whole world of opportunity. It develops their deep cultural awareness of how linguistic heritage links people of different cultures around the world. We enable all our pupils to broaden their horizons, converse with other people from different backgrounds, learn about world cultures and strengthen their economic prospects by building for them a firm foundation in language learning.
The whole-school curriculum addresses pupils’ academic, personal and social development. These three individual elements of learning provide a different component to the education of every pupil. Intellectual, personal and social maturity are the goal of these structured layers of learning at the school. There are three guiding elements which are brought to life through the MFL curriculum:
Educational excellence:
- French teachers engender a love of language learning and a thirst to become fluent in the spoken and written word.
- Pupils are well prepared to continue their language learning post-16 whether within a career or educational context.
Character development:
- French teachers bring the country and culture into the classroom and support pupils’ broader personal development through appreciation of other countries and cultures.
- Enrichment opportunities include film clubs, learning about France and Francophone countries, crepe-making workshops and trips abroad.
Service to communities:
- French teachers promote teamwork and collaboration in the classroom.
- At GCSE, pupils grapple with social and global issues with the aim of developing pupils’ thinking around their civic duties.
Pupils learn to:
- Understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of carefully selected sources, including authentic audio texts where appropriate.
- Speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation.
- Read and respond to a range of textual sources in the target language, including authentic and literary texts to enhance their linguistics knowledge and fluency, and learn more about parts of the world where French is spoken, through reading for enjoyment from an extensive French reading list.
- Write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt.
- Discover and develop an appreciation of the countries and cultures where the language is used.
The following principles underpin the French curriculum:
- essential substantive knowledge carefully sequenced across units of study and year-on-year to support fluency in the spoken and written word.
- disciplinary knowledge that includes vocabulary, grammar and phonics.
- procedural knowledge is captured through listening, speaking, reading and writing.
- explicit disciplinary knowledge components that lead to a series of composite tasks at the end of lessons, topics and units of study. These help to secure fluency in the spoken and written word over time (fluency composites).
Year 7
Year 7 focuses on securing a love of the language and culture, forming positive language learning habits and securing a strong linguistic foundation with a focus on knowing and remembering more. Fluency is key.
| Je me présente | Moi et ma famille |
| La rentrée | En classe |
Year 8
Year 8 builds on the strong foundation of Year 7 by recycling some content in greater depth, practised and extended through more complex linguistic structures and sustained listening, speaking, reading and writing. Some new topics are also introduced, as well as the past tense. Developing cultural awareness and active engagement verbally and in written form remain at the core of the curriculum.
| Mon temps libre | Ma vie de famille |
| En ville | Une visite spéciale |
Year 9
Year 9 focuses on automaticity. Pupils are confident using a combination of tenses. They can speak and write confidently on a range of topics from memory. Pupils are introduced to some new topics relating to their interests and aspirations. They are well-prepared for the GCSE course.
|
Vive les vacances ! |
J’adore les fêtes! |
| À loisir |
Le monde est petit |
Year 10
Year 10 focuses on building confidence using the strong foundation from Key Stage 3. Pupils revisit topics studied at Key Stage 3 in greater depth and explore some new topics. The perfect tense is revisited, and the pluperfect tense introduced. Pupils encounter examples of the subjunctive voice. Pupils have a thirst for language learning and a deep appreciation of Francophone cultures.
|
Qui suis-je? |
Le temps des loisirs | Le sport en direct |
| Bon appétit! |
Projets d’avenir |
Year 11
Year 11 tackles more complex topics such as global and social issues. Pupils also build on their prior knowledge when revisiting previous topics. They are able to synthesise their learning across topics and recycle language more proficiently from memory. Pupils end the course well-prepared for the GCSE exam. They have a strong foundation to commence A-Level French or use the language proficiently in the future.
| Global and social Issues | Me, my family and my friends |
| Free time activities and technology in everyday life | Customs and festivals |
AQA GCSE French 8658
Paper 1: Listening
| Overview | Focus |
|
Written examination Foundation tier:
Higher tier:
25% of the total qualification |
Understanding and responding to different types of spoken language.
Foundation Tier and Higher Tier
|
Paper 2: Speaking
| Overview | Focus |
|
Internally conducted and externally assessed Foundation tier:
Higher tier:
25% of the total qualification |
Communicating and interacting effectively in speech for a variety of purposes. The format is the same at Foundation Tier and Higher Tier, but with different stimulus questions for the Photo card and different stimulus materials for the Role-play. The timings are different too:
|
Paper 3: Reading
| Overview | Focus |
|
Written examination Foundation tier:
Higher tier:
25% of the total qualification |
Understanding and responding to different types of written language.
|
Paper 4: Writing
| Overview | Focus |
|
Written examination Foundation tier:
Higher tier:
25% of the total qualification |
Communicating effectively in writing for a variety of purposes.
Foundation Tier
Higher Tier
|
Pupils are given the opportunity to visit countries in which French is spoken widely. The school has facilitated trips to France in the past and has the ambition to continue with this.! Our students enjoy a variety of activities e.g., The Bastille Day and French plays. They also participate in enrichment clubs, e.g., reading & culture clubs which give them a flavour of the French culture. At KS4, pupils are invited to intervention sessions to consolidate their learning and prepare them for the GCSE examination.
Language skills can be used in almost any career, and particularly in businesses that trade internationally
- Academic researcher
- Interpreter
- Political risk analyst
- Secondary school teacher
- University lecturer
- Translator
- Broadcast journalist
- Detective
- Education consultant
- English as a foreign language teacher
- International aid/development worker
- Logistics and distribution manager
- Marketing executive
- Tour manager
