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French
Curriculum Intent
The learning of a foreign language plays an important role in the fostering of a student’s personal, social, intellectual and cultural development. It leads to the acquisition of skills seen as important nationally, on the European level, and on a worldwide scale and encourages students to develop the core values of kindness and respect for the people, culture and traditions of French-speaking countries. French is spoken in 55 countries and is the only language other than English to be spoken on five continents making it truly global.
Our inclusive and knowledge-rich French curriculum and the resources we use are designed to progressively develop skills and knowledge in another language. We feel that modern foreign languages play a very significant role in the personal development of our students, whilst supporting their literacy skills and empowering independent learning. Studying Modern Foreign Languages requires commitment and our dynamic and meaningful curriculum seeks to set high academic aspirations and foster curiosity and cultural awareness. It also reflects local and regional employment opportunities, broadens horizons and ensures that our students are future ready.
Our inclusive and values-based French curriculum supports our students to have a broader understanding of the world and encourages them to develop the core value of respect for the people, culture and traditions of French-speaking countries. Our knowledge-rich French curriculum is designed to foster curiosity and a love of learning as well as to progressively develop our students’ skills and knowledge of another language and culture. The French curriculum helps to equip our students with the skills needed to be global citizens which prepares them for the rapidly changing world and ensures that they are future ready. We have high expectations of all our students and we encourage them to aim for academic excellence whilst enjoying a broad and balanced learning experience which is accessible, inspiring and meaningful. Learning a language opens up avenues of communication as well as promoting, encouraging and instilling a broader cultural understanding. Regular visits abroad form further enrichment opportunities to increase confidence and help students with their comprehension and speaking skills. Studying a modern foreign language encourages our core values of commitment, inclusivity, kindness and respect for other cultures.
Key Stage 3
- Our ambitious curriculum is designed to build on students’ prior knowledge of learning a language from KS2. Students will acquire and use a broad range of vocabulary, develop a thirst for language learning and cultural enrichment through exposure to increasingly challenging texts which develop their fundamental literacy as well as focusing on comprehension tasks and audio-visual resources.
- Students will gain confidence in speaking French through participation in low-stakes yet challenging activities. These activities will comprise both independent learning and collaboration, where high support and challenge will be provided to develop a strong work ethic. In addition, students will use phonetic exercises to improve pronunciation.
- Students will embed powerful knowledge of grammar including adjectives, gender, nouns, prepositions, verbs and tenses, identifying strengths and providing early intervention for those who need extra support.
- Students will foster a love of language learning through extra-curricular opportunities such as trips and explore new interests through MFL clubs.
Key Stage 4
- Our ambitious curriculum is designed to provide a challenging but accessible curriculum for all students, bespoke to individual needs.
- Students will acquire and use a wider range of vocabulary to develop their ability to sustain communication, convey their message with increasing accuracy and fluency. Therefore, deepening their TWHS value of commitment. Students will develop higher order thinking skills by expressing opinions with some justification, and narrating events in extended responses. They will become creative and critical thinkers by speaking spontaneously and responding to unexpected questions.
- Students will develop stamina and resilience by understanding a wide range of written and spoken texts. They will demonstrate understanding of increasingly complex language by completing a variety of comprehension tasks in English and the target language.
- Students will write effectively for different purposes, using the correct style and register, give relevant detailed information using a good variety of vocabulary and grammatical structures which will equip them with the necessary skills to succeed at GCSE and move forward to A-Level.
- The topics covered at KS4 are connected to the real world and are designed to raise aspirations and awareness of post 16 opportunities.
Key Stage 5
Our rich and ambitious curriculum follows the Eduqas French A’ level specification which is designed to further develop students’ prior knowledge of learning French at GCSE level, foster a love of language learning and develop cultural awareness in French-speaking countries. During the course, students develop independent learning skills, problem solving strategies and advanced critical thinking. There are also leadership opportunities for our A’ level linguists who emerge as respectful, tolerant and responsible citizens, able to make a positive contribution to society. Their learning experience provides support and preparation for next steps either through progress into Higher Education or into the world of work.
Our studies are based on four broad themes:
1. Being a young person in French-speaking society
- Families and citizenship
- Youth trends and personal identity
- Education and employment opportunities
2. Understanding the French-speaking world
- Regional culture and heritage in France, French- speaking countries and communities: European context
- Media, art, film and music in the French-speaking world
3. Diversity and difference
- Migration and integration
- Cultural identity and marginalisation
- Cultural enrichment and celebrating difference
- Discrimination and diversity
4. France 1940-1950 The Occupation and post-war years
- June 1940-May 1945
- The cultural dimension in occupied France
- 1945-1950 Rebuilding
Assessment is based on the following components:
Component 1 – Students learn to speak spontaneously and fluently when responding to stimulus cards to argue points of view and support their points with relevant evidence. Students are also required to research and present an independent project of their choice relating to a French-speaking country. Students receive small group speaking tuition with bespoke intervention as appropriate.
Component 2 – Students acquire advanced topic-based vocabulary across the four broad themes. They also develop advanced comprehension and translation skills by applying grammatical knowledge. They learn to manipulate the language accurately using a wide range of lexis and idiom.
Component 3 – Students absorb vocabulary and learn to engage critically with intellectually stimulating texts and films. They develop analytical essay writing skills based on a film and a book and learn to write about characters and themes.
Under review…
Under review…