French

Rationale

Our vision as an MFL team is to make learning a new language an enjoyable, challenging and enriching experience for all our students. We want our girls to be ready to take on the world – and the world does not all speak English! Learning a language therefore should be a choice our girls want to make.

Our curriculum intent is:

For all FSG students to develop an awareness, understanding and respect of other cultures, to acquire the ability to communicate in a foreign language and to grow in confidence, build resilience and become outward-thinking global citizens. Learning a foreign language is exciting and rewarding, it also presents many challenges; we accept the fact that it can be difficult to become quickly proficient in one language or more, our spiral curriculum offers a logical and structured progression. We want all of students to make the best progress possible in their study of MFL and leave school having enjoyed their language learning experience. We want to see them leave feeling more confident, more knowledgeable, and ready to, perhaps, live their life under new skies.

Overview

Key Stage 3

We lay the foundations for long term language learning. It is important to us that all of our students enjoy the experience of learning and communication, acquire relevant vocabulary, practise the four skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening, understand the essential mechanics of the target language. We make a conscious effort to focus on speaking and listening. We provide fun and stimulating lessons using a variety of teaching techniques and activities, we use authentic material as often as possible and refer to cultural events and elements at every opportunity. We tailor extra- curricular activities that support classroom learning and further develop the communication skills that our students acquire in lessons.

We share with our students our own passion for the languages we master and the love of the countries where these languages are spoken.

GCSE options are chosen at the end of Year 8 and in Year 9, we currently build their language skills through the teaching of new topics that will be revisited during the GCSE course but that have not yet been covered. The aim is for students to be confident and ready to tackle the GCSE course.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4 we build on the foundations laid at KS3 and Year 9. In terms of content, we have a spiral and cumulative curriculum that allows for topics to be revisited. In lessons, we continue to develop the main four skills that will be examined in the GCSE examinations and will provide our students with lifelong communication skills in the language(s) they have chosen to learn. Students are given opportunities to acquire detailed knowledge of the written and spoken foreign language and develop their communication skills both orally and in writing. As per the FSG whole school vision, we want all our students to perform to the best of their ability in everything they do including external examinations but perhaps more importantly we want them to learn and grow beyond the classroom walls and enjoy the process of learning. We provide extra academic support as well as stimulating and challenging extra-curricular activities.

Post 16

At Key Stage 5 we continue to build on the previous knowledge our students have acquired at Key stage 3 and at GCSE and further develop the main four skills. Language learning at Key Stage 5 is topic based and allows students to acquire a very detailed knowledge and understanding of the foreign language at a much higher level than what they have learned previously. It extends far beyond the limits of the previous curriculum and requires greater understanding and knowledge of artistic, cultural, historical, and political issues and trends.

We help our students to become more proficient at analysing, criticizing, researching and perhaps most importantly at becoming efficient, independent, and forward-thinking learners.

Whether students intend to use a foreign language for work, study or leisure, language, we want language learning at Key Stage 5 to help equip them with the skills and knowledge that will support them for the rest of their lives. In and outside of lessons, we use a variety of sources: tv and radio broadcast, study of a literary text, study of a film, extracts of journalistic material to name a few. We encourage independent reading and listening. We provide students opportunities to attend conferences to support their learning and take part in visits abroad if they wish to do so.

Extra Curricular Opportunities

As a team of linguists who have experienced language learning ourselves both as children and adults, we believe that the skills and knowledge acquired when learning a modern foreign language extend beyond the learning of the language itself. Our academic curriculum is supplemented outside the classroom by a variety of extra-curricular activities such as day and residential visits abroad, penfriend schemes, our Language Ambassadors programme and lunchtime school clubs. In recent years, we have established strong links with schools in Spain and France and are in constant contact with them and our blossoming International Outlook programme provides a host of opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture and language of countries around the world.

Online Resources

Exam Boards

GCSE - AQA

A-Level - AQA

If you would like to know more about our curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact the school.