French

Introduction

We are very lucky to have a strong team of experienced and committed teachers in the French department. The Head of department is Miss Brayle. Our classrooms are all equipped with interactive white boards, and we have one additional room for speaking practices.

KS5

Our results at A level have traditionally been above national average. Our smaller class sizes enable us to tailor the teaching to individual students’ needs and offer additional support, particularly with regard to speaking practices.  In yr12 students are offered the opportunity to join other local schools in an exchange programme in Brittany. The examination board that we follow is AQA.

KS4

French continues to be a popular option amongst our students.  We follow the AQA examination board and use the STUDIO textbook from yr9. Regular assessments are in line with GCSE requirements and there is a strong support programme in place for yr11.

KS3

By the end of  KS3 students are expected to know vocabulary from a wide variety of topics such as free time activities, local area, school life, and family and friends. Students will learn how to form the past, present and futures tenses as well as modal verbs, time phrases and opinion phrases. We favour a communicative approach and classroom language, and pair work activities are regular features of our lessons.

Assessment

Homework is set once a week at foundation KS3 and KS4 levels and every lesson at KS5.  This can involve writing tasks, grammar exercises, vocabulary learning or research.  Regular vocabulary tests take place every half term, as well as summative assessments covering a range of skills.

Support

There is a google classroom set up for every year group in French.  These include useful revision links, vocabulary lists and other resources. One to one practice are offered to KS5 and KS4 students. 

In addition we recommend the following websites for extra vocabulary practice:

https://www.memrise.com/courses/english/french/

https://quizlet.com/login

French - BBC Bitesize