The French department aims to promote the enjoyment of the language from Year 7 onwards.
Our team of qualified and experienced teachers and in-house French assistant work together and teach with enthusiasm and dedication in order to make the lessons stimulating and rewarding.
In Year 7, all students are exposed to all three languages taught at Ashford School (French, German and Spanish) in a carousel. By the end of the third term, the students select their top two languages, which they continue to learn for the rest of Key Stage 3.
In Key Stage 3 we progressively build up students’ confidence and help them express themselves confidently in topics such as family, holidays or hobbies. They also develop their knowledge of grammar. Towards the end of Year 9, pupils decide which languages they wish to continue for their GCSE.
The department always strives to promote the French culture as much as the language, and therefore we offer various activities during the course of Key Stage 3. Students have the opportunity to participate in French cooking lessons and learn about French customs and traditions. They also develop their confidence through the use of drama and singing, including French role plays and singing competitions!
At Key Stage 4, students follow the AQA GCSE curriculum, which covers a broader range of topics and more complex grammar. They have weekly one to one or small group lessons with our French language assistant in order to develop their speaking skills.
We also provide support for bilingual students who wish to enter an early GCSE exam and whenever possible have individual lessons with our language assistant.
At Key Stage 5, students follow the AQA A-Level French course and develop their skills to a very high standard. They study in depth topics related to French society, such as immigration, the French film industry and contemporary francophone music. They also have individual lessons with our French assistant to help them develop their fluency in the language.
Our students also regularly attend language workshops at the University of Kent, which teaches the students to value the importance of languages and to understand the multiple possibilities that languages offer