French
Senior
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela
Learning French at Kingswood is an enriching experience in which students not only develop language skills but also gain insight into the exciting and varied culture of France and other French-speaking countries.
French, which is spoken by nearly 300 million people in more than forty countries in five continents, is one of the major global languages. It is the second most widely learned foreign language after English, and it is also the only language besides English that is taught in every country in the world. An ability to speak both French and English is a huge advantage on the international job market, as it opens doors to French companies, not only in France but also in Canada, Switzerland, Belgium, and North and sub-Saharan Africa.
At Kingswood, the French department emphasises speaking as much French as possible during lessons and we are also fortunate to have a French assistant each year, whose work focus is improving students’ oral fluency . We use a variety of teaching resources to keep language learning stimulating and interactive, and we also incorporate an element of independent learning through the use of our language laboratory.
Key Stage 3
Studying French will teach you to attend to the meaning of words and sentences, to recognise differences in concepts and usage, and to develop an awareness of the nature of language.
We are keen for our pupils to experience French outside the classroom, too. Examples of some of the events and trips in the French department over recent years include attending annual French plays produced by the Onatti theatre group, a trip to Paris and an exchange trip to Toulouse.
GCSE
At GCSE level, pupils follow the AQA specification.
A-Level
We are keen for our pupils to experience French outside the classroom, too. Examples of some of the events and trips in the French department over recent years include: A-Level cinema evenings at the Little Theatre in Bath, KS5 Dictée Activity, an exchange trip to Toulouse and a Sixth Form Languages Day at Southampton University.