MODERN LANGUAGES
In our Department we have 4 full-time and fully qualified teachers, 2 French Assistants and an Administration assistant. The main language we currently teach is French but we strongly encourage our students to sit either GCSE or A’Level exams in any other language which they speak at home. Tuition and support is provided for out learners in this to make them fully confident.
In KS3 all pupils follow the recently-updated Expo course and we are fully resourced to deliver this. Our pupils have 7, 5 and 5 hours over a two week period of French respectively in Years 7-9 and this allows us to fulfil the requirements of the NC Programmes of Study. French Assistants support the pupils within lessons and focus mainly on oral work which enables the pupils to improve their accent and pronunciation. This is an enjoyable part of their learning.
Many of our pupils continue with French to GCSE and we enter them for the Edexcel exam. Again, we are fully resourced to teach with the new Edexcel textbook for GCSE and this covers the material in a contemporary and interesting way for the students. The GCSE exam is made up of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing and the Writing and Speaking are examined over the 2-year course top enable the students to complete their work in smaller, more manageable chunks.
We have small groups in KS5 and again we enter students for the GCE from 2008 with Edexcel. Students have their own copies of the textbook and self-study resources which support the course. In both Year 12 and Year 13 they have the ability to choose what interests them for the oral exam. The course is designed to cover topics which A’level students would have an interest in such as Youth Culture, Education and Work and Healthy Living.
Homework is set each week in KS3 and KS4 and all students complete an assessment each half-term. We teach in setted groups from Year 7-11 and the makeup of the groups is regularly reviewed to ensure that the needs of all pupils are being fully met. We aim to speak in French 100% of the time and the Teaching and Learning in the Department is judged to be Good with Outstanding features
