The French curriculum at Westfield Academy

The French curriculum provides students with interesting opportunities to watch theatre productions, travel on day trips to the French Institute in London and go on residential trips to France. We have a weekly Ciné Club, in which we study films and discuss ideas, and we have revision GCSE master classes after school. As part of the lesson, we also have opportunities to practise speaking with our French assistant.

The Academy’s core values of Believe, Strive, Achieve underpin our vision in the department where we hope to equip the next generation of linguists to go on to learn languages in the Sixth Form, and beyond at university level. As part of this vision, we encourage students to succeed in their home languages, where students have now continued with language learning at A-Level.

We are working to incorporate the new GCSE curriculum into our KS3 lessons and assessments, and this is also with a focus on bringing in activities that are encouraging students to speak in French. We also encourage students to participate in international opportunities, to exchange penpal letters with other schools in France. This encourages links between students of different nationalities and enhances the experience of learning a second language. We are always looking for greater opportunities to enhance international ties, and opportunities to learn languages in a more enriching way. This is reflected in our outward focus from the classroom. 

At Key stage 4, students complete the AQA specification which enables students of all abilities to develop their French language skills to their full potential, equipping them with the knowledge to communicate in a variety of contexts with confidence. The curriculum is also designed to help build students' cultural knowledge alongside their language skills.