French

Why study 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 of 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.

There are three guiding elements which are brought to life through the MFL curriculum:

Educational excellence: MFL 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: MFL 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 Year 8 Storytime, Year 9 film clubs, Ka Safar virtual trip to Pakistan, video links with schools abroad

Service to communities: MFL 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 dutiesu

How will I study French?

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 wide range of textual sources in each target language, including authentic and literary texts; and to enhance their linguistics knowledge and fluency, an learn more about parts of the world where each language is spoken, through reading for enjoyment from an extensive MFL 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

 What will I study in Key Stage 3?

In year 7, pupils focus 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.
Topics covered in year 7:

• La rentrée
• En classe
• Mon temps libre
• Ma vie de famille
• En ville

In year 8, pupils build on the strong foundation of year 7 by revisiting some content in greater depth, practising and extending knowledge 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.
Topics covered in year 8:

• Vive les vacances!
• J’adore les fêtes!
• À loisir
• Le monde est petit

In year 9, pupils’ focus is 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.
Topics covered in year 9:

• Qui suis-je?
• Le temps des loisirs
• Le sport en direct
• Bon appétit!
• Projets d’avenir

 What will I study in Key Stage 4?

In years 10 and 11, pupils focus 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.

More complex topics are tackled, 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.
Topics and themes covered in years 10 and 11:

• Home town, neighbourhood and region
• Travel and tourism
• Life at school, studies, education post-16
• Jobs, career choices and ambitions
• Global and social Issues
• Me, my family and my friends
• Free time activities and technology in everyday life
• Customs and festivals

Assessment

Internal assessments take place task place at regular intervals throughout both KS3 and KS4. Broadly, there are two types of assessment; fluency composite task and a composite test.

Composite fluency tasks are completed at the end of a topic and are used to check whether students are reaching curriculum related expectations.

Composite tests are used to assess the cumulative coverage of the curriculum and check whether learning is sticking over time and if students are reaching curriculum related expectations.

 External Examinations

Examination Board: AQA

Enrichment

A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities are offered to pupils, catering for multiple languages across all Key Stages.

The MFL Faculty also organizes whole school language-related events:

In September, European Day Languages is marked with languages quizzes and competitions

• In February, the #lovelanguages event provides a morning of creative activities for each year group; in 2022 for example, Year 7s created Arabic art; Year 10s ordered food and drink at a French café.

Careers

There are a range of career opportunities for pupils if they study modern foreign language to a higher level. The majority of employers prefer to recruit people with languages skills. Having a good GCSE or A Level grade in a foreign language and any degree will enable pupils to work for an international company anywhere around the world. A good GCSE grade in Urdu will allow pupils to study the language further or to combine with other degree subjects. This can then lead to careers in fields such as interpreting, teaching, languages and community services. Universities and employers value strong language qualifications.

Useful resources and revision support

• com – Subscription site for Arabic and French Pupils
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects
• https://www.wordreference.com
• https://www.quizlet.com
• https://www.memrise.com