French
Aims of the department
French is the first modern foreign language that every pupil at Eltham College learns. We are therefore the department which provides many of our pupils with their first experience of learning a foreign language. We aim to make this experience enjoyable yet challenging, intellectually stimulating and successful. We hope lead our pupils to develop the skills to communicate effectively in French and we create a classroom atmosphere which is conducive to pupils speaking with confidence in French. The department also promotes the skills of independent learning, as well as ICT skills.
We aim to instil in our pupils not only an enthusiasm for the language but also an appreciation of how language is so interlinked to culture and society. As pupils continue to study French throughout the school, they are encouraged to develop an awareness of and respect for French society, customs and traditions.
Why study French
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In a world in which the professional job market is fiercely competitive, French competes strongly with English, as a main language of business and politics. French is an official working language in the United Nations, UNESCO, NATO, the International Red Cross and international courts. Major French companies also dominate in the UK and the USA (Du Pont, Xerox, Apple Computer, Michelin, Renault and many more). Proficiency in French is a prerequisite for anyone planning on a career in international organisations. Those interested in a career in finance will discover some 350,000 French natives working mainly in London’s finance sector; therefore being a Francophile, if not a francophone, is a distinct advantage in the job market. However, careers and ambition aside, learning French, most importantly, opens a gateway to a country which has a huge amount of appeal, in culture, gastronomy, design and style. In spite of the ubiquitous Eurostar adverts, we do tend to forget that France is just a two hour train journey away. You certainly don’t need to study French to survive in Paris, but how satisfying is it to understand quirky adverts on the métro, not feel thrown by the array of possibilities on a French menu, and simply go to see a film? |
French is taught in forms from Year 7 to Year 9, after which many pupils opt to continue to study French to GCSE level and through to A-Level.
During Years 10 and 11, pupils study the AQA GCSE course. The course covers a range of topic areas such as Leisure, local area, environmental issues, education and the world of work, alongside a broad range of grammar. Pupils sit terminal examinations in Listening and Reading, and they must submit Controlled Assessment tasks for Speaking and Writing. Click here for a more detailed explanation of the GCSE course.
At Sixth Form level pupils follow the AQA specification and the vast majority choose to continue from AS-Level through to A2-Level. At AS-Level pupils study a range of topics, from the influence of celebrity culture to the dangers of the internet. At A2-Level, in addition to topic based work, pupils are introduced to French literature, alongside a film, for the Cultural Topics. Each Sixth Former also benefits from a timetabled weekly oral lesson with the French assistant. At the end of each of the AS-Level and the A2-Level courses, pupils take two module examinations: a synoptic paper and an oral examination. Click here for further details of these courses.
The department encourages its Sixth Form pupils to aspire not only to broaden their linguistic knowledge, but to deepen their knowledge of French culture and society. To this end AS-Level and A2-Level pupils are encouraged to fully engage in independent reading, to borrow departmental DVDs and to take part in in cinema outings and trips.
Trips and visits
The Year 9 French Exchange to Laval continues to be very popular and this year it will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Our pupils host their exchange partners from Laval for a week in January and make their return visit to France for a week in the Easter holidays.
This academic year our Year 11 French pupils took part in a cultural weekend trip to Paris in the Autumn term.
Once in the Sixth form, French students have taken part in a study trip to Nice, where they studied for their respective oral examinations in a language school in the mornings, and visited the highlights of the region in the afternoons. This year saw the launch of a new Sixth Form exchange with the Lycée Albert 1er in Monaco.
There hav been cinema trips to see, for example, Le Père de Mes Enfants and Micmacs. Other cultural events are organised to support pupils' study of topics on the AS and A2 syllabi. Last academic year puils heard talks by the Cultural Attaché to the French Embassy in London, M. Michel Monsauret on Immigration en France and Éducation en France. Recently, Upper Sixth students visited Trinity School to hear a talk on The Multicultural Society.
Staff in the department are:
Lucia Scarantino (LUS) – Head of department
David Boudon (DB) – French
Ben Pollard (BP) – Head of Modern Languages, Head of German, French
Peter Cheshire (PGC) – French, German, RS
Sarah Horton (SH) – French (part-time)
Astrid Senior (AS) – French assistant
