French

All pupils study French from the start of Year 7, placed in either a beginners' set or a non-beginners' set. Pupils have three French lessons each week. We use the course book Encore Tricolore 1. In Year 8 we offer a trip to France (Le Touquet) which is run at Easter every two years and is always very popular. Pupils in Years 9 and 10 are encouraged to participate in the town exchange with Annecy.

Pupils do not have to continue with French to GCSE; they could choose Spanish, German or Mandarin instead. However, most opt for French. We follow the Edexcel GCSE syllabus which requires the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing. Most pupils are entered either for Higher Tier, some for Foundation Tier, and some a mixture of the two. Results over the last two years have been very pleasing with a 90% or better A*-C pass rate.

For AS and A2, we follow the AQA syllabus. Both years involve the study of four topics and final exams in speaking, listening reading and writing. Cultural Topics are studied at A2 and allow for the study of literary or non-literary topics and texts. Students are encouraged to spend time in France during the course. Students have a weekly conversation class in pairs or threes with the French Language Assistant. Once again, results are pleasing with the majority of students gaining A-C grades.

The picture shows two of our students assisting the chef with a cookery demonstration on the Le Touquet trip.