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Modern ForEIgn Languages
Modern Languages Department Information
French is the first foreign language offered in Year 7 and pupils continue to study this until the end of Year 9 with approximately fifty pupils opting to continue to GCSE level, although our aim is to increase this intake over the next few years. With effect from September 2008 Spanish is being offered as an option subject in Year 10, and this is already proving to be a popular option.
The Modern Languages Department has a very positive outlook and all colleagues work hard, collaboratively and successfully. This is confirmed by the fact that in January 2009 the department achieved Specialist Status, and we all look forward to the challenges this brings, along with the expected improvements in languages within both the school and the local community.
Curriculum & Results in 2008
At GCSE level in French the department follows the syllabus of the OCR Examinations Group. In addition to French and Spanish, there are numerous other foreign language examinations taken by our pupils. Bengali, Chinese, Arabic, Greek, Russian, Swahili, Italian, German, Turkish and Portuguese are just some of the examinations taken in recent years.
The introduction of the modular curriculum (with its half-termly tests for pupils) has led to a greater awareness of pupils’ progress and capabilities and contributed to the pupils’ own clearer understanding of just how they are performing against National Curriculum levels on a skill by skill basis.
For the last ten years the department has conducted mock GCSE French oral tests for all Year 11 pupils. This affords pupils an increased appreciation of GCSE examination procedures, boosts their confidence and has meant the introduction of much more accurate estimated grades for Year 11 pupils.
In the last few years the department has seen some exceptionally pleasing results at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. All these results augur extremely well for our continued success in the future.
Key Stage 4:
73.4% of pupils achieved A*-C grades in 2008, our prediction for 2009 is 80%.
The percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades at GCSE is usually 70% or above. At Key Stage 3 the proportion of pupils achieving Level 5+ is invariably above borough and national figures.
We are introducing A Level French to the syllabus in September 2009.
Staff
The Modern Languages Department comprises five full-time teachers and two part-time teachers, and we will be employing a Languages Assistant this year. The current Subject Leader is Mr Cliff Carder.
Colleagues will frequently be required to teach on both the Lower and Upper School sites across age and ability ranges. The departmental staffing situation is very stable. Colleagues work fruitfully together on sites, sharing resources and expertise, and regularly meeting as a department. Often department meetings are used for collaborative work such as the monitoring of pupils’ exercise books, joint moderation of pupil coursework etc.
Examination Board moderators frequently comment very positively on the thoroughness and accuracy of our oral and written coursework marking standards.
We give our teachers the opportunity to teach across the full ability range. We do work as a team and, therefore, share resources and expertise. Senior members of the department are always willing to assist colleagues if problems occur.
All staff are encouraged to continue professional development. The school has a programme established for newly qualified teachers which actively develops and supports them.
Resources
Classroom accommodation within the department is excellent, with a suite of carpeted rooms, overhead projectors, a staff office on the Upper School site and substantially improved accommodation on the Lower School site where our younger students are taught.
Classroom displays within the department remind pupils regularly of the department’s marking policy, target language used by teachers in class and in exercise books, the Robert Clack Good Lesson and literacy strategies. Many examples of pupils’ coursework are also on display.
The department currently uses the EXPO course materials for teaching resources.
School Trips
Visits abroad are extremely popular with our pupils. Day visits to Le Touquet are a traditional annual feature for pupils in Year 7 and a five day visit to Paris and the Northern French coast is always very much over-subscribed. Last year, we added a very successful five-day visit to Normandy for Year 9 students, and this was an excellent success, involving a wide range of language-learning activities. We aim to add a visit to Spain soon.
gifted and talented pupils in french
How do we identify gifted students?
We look for students who:
- have a desire to want to learn new language and are able to put together language individually
- are able to be imaginative with language and are inquisitive about the reasons why language is this way.
- show a desire to visit France to use their French and learn about French culture
- understand the importance of learning another language and know how they will continue when leaving school
How are gifted students supported in French?
The languages department runs a yearly competition with the Year 9 X band groups on a project about a French region – incorporating all three tenses: Past, Present and Future. This enables them to access level 7 and share ideas with their peers.
We have a film club which allows G & T pupils to access unknown language and experience the culture of Francophone countries. The club operates as a library service and students are encouraged to keep a record of new language learned in their Movie Vocab Books. We aim to offer the latest titles available to buy on DVD as well as classics and BFI award winning titles such as Au revoir les enfants, Taxi2, The 400 Blows, He Loves me, He Loves me Not, and Kirikou, which is an African animated film. We aim to offer all different types of film which would appeal to a range of tastes.
In year 9, there is a trip to Normandy in France available for the X band students. This trip has been very successful. The school has established excellent links with an activity centre in the region. The centre employs native speakers to accompany the language teachers and students for the entire trip. They communicate with the students solely in French, whilst teaching them songs, climbing, archery, treasure hunting and taking them on tours of the regional sights such as Mont Saint Michel and the D Day landing beaches and British and American cemeteries.
There is a separate text book used for 8X1 and 9X band: Expo Rouge. This text book is specifically designed to challenge the pupils and offer extension activities to improve their language skills. The students are able to keep these books and use them independently at home. We hope that this challenging work will both engage them and prepare them for GCSE French.
What can gifted students do to pursue their interest in French?
Parents can support G & T Students by allowing their children to access the internet to read French news and watch short French adverts and documentaries on You Tube. Some useful websites include: www.leparisien.fr and http://www.lefigaro.fr/.
They can get access to French Satellite channels. More details can be found at http://www.cinemoi.tv/.
They can buy or subscribe to French magazines such as Paris Match or visit their website at http://www.parismatch.com/.
They can plan short trips to France to allow their children to experience the country for real.
They can listen to French music on You Tube together and discuss how they feel about it. Other French radio websites can be found at: http://www.listenlive.eu/france.html
Languages revision material
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The curriculum is outstanding and meets the needs of students extremely well. A wide range of vocational courses and work-related opportunities at Key Stage 4 offer helpful pathways into training and employment. Provision for personal, health, social and citizenship education is excellent and supports students' personal development successfully as well as providing exciting opportunities for developing enterprise and work-related skills.
