Loreto College St Albans

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MFL

Intent

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”.

 Nelson Mandela

It is our intent:

  • To ensure the curriculum for French is consistently delivered in order to allow for optimal preparation for KS4 in French.
  • To ensure that the delivery of the curriculum is accessible to all students. It is important that socially disadvantaged pupils have access to resources.
  • To enable students to be able to communicate for real purposes.
  • To ensure subject knowledge and problem solving skills are developed in preparation for KS4.
  • To provide “out of classroom” opportunities for a variety of cultural and linguistic experiences which are all inclusive. These include French plays for both Year 7 and Year 9 and a Year 8 MFL day.

 

Students learn French from Year 7 until Year 11.  We aim to build on students’ previous knowledge and understanding, thereby ensuring that at the end of K.S. 3 students are fully prepared to meet the demands of GCSE French.  At K.S. 3 students learn vocabulary and grammatical structures, which we expect them to apply in their independent work.  We give them the tools and the confidence to develop their translation skills to and from the target language.  We inspire them to be ambitious and accurate in their work and to foster in them a passion for French and all things francophone.  We encourage students to be critical, resilient thinkers who make a positive, practical contribution to society. We instil in students the importance of life-long learning and support them to become independent learners. Students are challenged and supported and their achievements are celebrated. We plan enjoyable lessons.

We recommend all language learners to develop the skills and confidence to consider themselves as ‘World Citizens’ who belong in a global world, which respects other peoples’ cultures, religions and race.  Language learners are good communicators and have to become flexible, and such skills are highly sought after in the job market. We endeavour to foster these skills in our students throughout their language learning career at Loreto College.

At KS4 students build on the strong foundations they have established at KS.3.  They add to their repertoire of vocabulary, understanding of grammatical rules and their ability to speak spontaneously.  They translate to and from the target language more difficult texts that at KS3.  They are also encouraged to read and respond to literary texts.  Students are encouraged to give their own opinions on a range of topics and to justify them with reasons.  This allows them to prepare effectively for studying the subject at A Level.

At A Level we aim to foster in our students a love of literature in the form of an appreciation of the two set texts they study. They learn about the background of the author, the historical and social context, the themes and writer’s craft. We build students’ ability to converse in the target language on a wide range of current and stimulating issues. This is done in the context of the French-speaking world and their own country.  They are encouraged to compare and contrast the differences between cultures.

PSHE

The department delivers a range of topics through PSHE. We discuss topics  such as human rights, prejudice and discrimination, world religions, sustainability, the sacraments including marriage and relationships.

Careers

Students who study French at A Level can go on to take an undergraduate degree in the language at university.  The subject is well regarded for students who decide to apply for competitive undergraduate degrees i.e. law and medicine.  The skills students acquire from studying a foreign language at A Level are exceptionally valued in the world of business and other jobs in our modern globalized world.

Useful links:

 

French Curriculum Maps

 

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