Why learn French?
French is a giant among international languages with over 120 million people around the world who speak it fluently and use it on a regular basis. It’s the 11th most common language in the world and isn’t just spoken in France but in over 30 countries including Canada, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium, Switzerland and many more. Learning French is not only interesting, but very useful!
Key Stage 3 French
French at Sheffield Girls' is taught in a lively and engaging way to help every student to enjoy learning the language. Some girls come into the school having learned French in their Junior Schools, but if you haven’t done any French before, don’t worry: our activities cater to all levels of experience.
We have a link with a school in Brittany and correspondence with French school children is an integral part of our studies. It enables the students to experience real conversation, enhancing their communication skills in a huge range of ways and helping them to experience the fruit of learning a language.
Read more about studying at the best secondary school in Sheffield.
French GCSE (Edexcel IGCSE)
We follow the Edexcel Certificate, which is a linear course, finishing with final examinations. The topics are varied and we spend the entire course building structures little by little so that, by the end of Year 11, girls are able to communicate spontaneously in French. This means they are equipped to do their best in their examinations. It also equips them to spend time in France and prepares them thoroughly for A-Level study.
The study of Modern Foreign Languages is really thriving at Sheffield Girls'. We're pleased to consistently achieve some of the best GCSE results in the school and in the GDST network.
Extra-curricular
- We offer trips to France at all key stages. In Key Stage 3, we run a 3-day trip for Year 8 girls to St Omer in Northern France. In Key Stage 4, at GCSE level, we offer 5 days in Montpellier, staying with host families and attending language classes in the mornings. This is an enriching and eye-opening experience!
- The use of film is becoming increasingly prominent in our curriculum and we study films in every year group. This year we are running a Key Stage 3 French Film Club and also offering a Key Stage 4 French DVD lending library to help students further immerse themselves in the language.
- Our foreign language assistant helps to run clinics to support girls at all stages of their learning.
- All Year 7 girls enter a national foreign language Spelling Bee Competition and we have had national finalists every year so far!
