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French
“J’accepte la grande aventure d’être moi” (“I accept the grand adventure of being me”)
Simone de Beauvoir
French enables students to learn a modern foreign language as well as to become immersed in French culture and tradition.
Staff
Mrs V. Mitchell (Assistant Headteacher and Subject Leader)
Ms F Louvez
Ms S Radley
Ms S. Treguier
Vision
To broaden knowledge and develop awareness of the world around us; to nurture, encourage and foster enjoyment and passion for language learning.
Intent
Key Stage 3: In Year 7 the fundamental groundwork on the foundations of the language is covered (sounds, accents, pronunciation, structures, grammar, vocabulary). Year 7 ultimately focuses on being able to introduce and talk about oneself, family & friends in basic detail, learn 'everyday' general topics including alphabet, numbers, months/days/dates, colours, key significant verbs in the present tense and basic grammatical structures. The 4 main skill areas, Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, are gently introduced. The knowledge students will gain in Year 7 enables them to speak and write in more detail from Year 8 onwards.
In Years 8 and 9, key cultural and social topics are introduced, designed to explore and develop, in further depth, their increasing grasp of the target language. Particular focus is on: food, eating out, shopping, our town/village, holidays & countries, hobbies and pastimes, school life. Further to this, grammar and vocabulary themes are developed and both past and future tenses are introduced. Students now write and speak about others in addition to themselves, in more detail, building on their knowledge of verbs in the first and second person and using all other parts of French verbs. The 4 skill areas are worked on in more depth and detail. Assessment based around the GCSE examination format is also introduced to give pupils some experience of assessment in Years 10 and 11.
Key Stage 4: Topics based around France and the French-speaking world are our priority in Years 10 and 11. Topics studied at KS3 are now developed and revisited in greater depth and detail. Particular focus is on family relationships, town and region, school life and future plans, the world of work/employment/careers, social and environmental issues. GCSE exam techniques and strategies are of great significance and students spend a vast amount of time working on the 4 main skill areas, in preparation for the exam. Grammar and tenses are revised and more complex grammar, sentence structures and more sophisticated vocabulary introduced. Reading/listening to and understanding authentic and literary texts are introduced as a key skill in Years 10 and 11, developing students' reading and listening skills from KS3.
Key Stage 5: The aim at A Level is to build on GCSE content, grammar and spoken/written language and to use and develop students' transferrable skills. New skills are also introduced such as critical thinking, literary essay skills and conducting research.
Students also build on topics studied at GCSE in greater depth, including social issues and trends and themes around political/intellectual/artistic culture. In Year 12 students study a literary text or film and in Year 13 students study towards an independent research project. The main focus at A Level is to enhance and broaden knowledge and understanding of the target language culture, developing what has been covered at KS4. Once again, the 4 skill areas are routinely practiced and assessed throughout classes and individual sessions with the FLA.
“J’accepte la grande aventure d’être moi” (“I accept the grand adventure of being me”)
Simone de Beauvoir
French enables students to learn a modern foreign language as well as to become immersed in French culture and tradition.
Staff
Mrs V. Mitchell (Assistant Headteacher and Subject Leader)
Ms F Louvez
Ms S Radley
Ms S. Treguier
Vision
To broaden knowledge and develop awareness of the world around us; to nurture, encourage and foster enjoyment and passion for language learning.
Intent
Key Stage 3: In Year 7 the fundamental groundwork on the foundations of the language is covered (sounds, accents, pronunciation, structures, grammar, vocabulary). Year 7 ultimately focuses on being able to introduce and talk about oneself, family & friends in basic detail, learn 'everyday' general topics including alphabet, numbers, months/days/dates, colours, key significant verbs in the present tense and basic grammatical structures. The 4 main skill areas, Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing, are gently introduced. The knowledge students will gain in Year 7 enables them to speak and write in more detail from Year 8 onwards.
In Years 8 and 9, key cultural and social topics are introduced, designed to explore and develop, in further depth, their increasing grasp of the target language. Particular focus is on: food, eating out, shopping, our town/village, holidays & countries, hobbies and pastimes, school life. Further to this, grammar and vocabulary themes are developed and both past and future tenses are introduced. Students now write and speak about others in addition to themselves, in more detail, building on their knowledge of verbs in the first and second person and using all other parts of French verbs. The 4 skill areas are worked on in more depth and detail. Assessment based around the GCSE examination format is also introduced to give pupils some experience of assessment in Years 10 and 11.
Key Stage 4: Topics based around France and the French-speaking world are our priority in Years 10 and 11. Topics studied at KS3 are now developed and revisited in greater depth and detail. Particular focus is on family relationships, town and region, school life and future plans, the world of work/employment/careers, social and environmental issues. GCSE exam techniques and strategies are of great significance and students spend a vast amount of time working on the 4 main skill areas, in preparation for the exam. Grammar and tenses are revised and more complex grammar, sentence structures and more sophisticated vocabulary introduced. Reading/listening to and understanding authentic and literary texts are introduced as a key skill in Years 10 and 11, developing students' reading and listening skills from KS3.
Key Stage 5: The aim at A Level is to build on GCSE content, grammar and spoken/written language and to use and develop students' transferrable skills. New skills are also introduced such as critical thinking, literary essay skills and conducting research.
Students also build on topics studied at GCSE in greater depth, including social issues and trends and themes around political/intellectual/artistic culture. In Year 12 students study a literary text or film and in Year 13 students study towards an independent research project. The main focus at A Level is to enhance and broaden knowledge and understanding of the target language culture, developing what has been covered at KS4. Once again, the 4 skill areas are routinely practiced and assessed throughout classes and individual sessions with the FLA.
