French Department

French Exchange

In October half term, Year 9 and 10 girls headed to Moulins for the annual French exchange. After an overnight stop in Amiens, south of Paris, the girls finally arrived in Moulins where they were greeted by their host families. The girls spent the whole weekend with their families, giving them plenty of time to get to know each other well. As it was also the school holidays in Moulins, the week was spent visiting many local and regional attractions, such as the Michelin museum and the Rugby Stadium in Clermont-Ferrand. The week was certainly full of excitement for the girls, including a coach breakdown which gave them the chance to discover the wonderful city of Beaune and its beautiful cathedral, and of course to do some shopping. Another exciting trip was the visit to a mustard factory, where the girls were able to try their hand at making their own mustard. It was enjoyable week for all involved. The girls spoke lots of French and made memories and new friendships which will last them a lifetime.

Sixth Form French Day

In January, we welcomed back speaker Richard Peltier who led our annual Sixth Form French Day: an interactive day of discussion conducted entirely in French. In their sessions, Year 12 students talked about new family types, the dangers of cyber-society and the ‘Seventh Art’ cinema in the French-speaking world. Year 13 students discussed whether prison is a good or bad solution to solving crime, teenagers’ views on the right to vote and their political commitment, and the cultural heritage of the French-speaking world and whether it is a benefit or disadvantage. All of these complex topics were set in the French-speaking world and linked to the A-Level curriculum. Students were invited to join in by answering questions, debating the issues and reacting to videos and quotes. The day was a great opportunity for students to increase their confidence and fluency while speaking French

Francovision

Francovision is the Girls’ Division take on the Eurovision song contest but in French, and this year’s competition was another roaring success! Each Year 7 form produced a music video of a song in French. This year’s theme was the musical ‘Mamma Mia’. As in previous years, the work involved in preparing for this was huge: the girls had to study the sound patterns of the lyrics in order to sound them accurately, understand the key message of the song and finally plan and produce a music video which would involve everyone in their form. As always, they rose to the challenge. The entries were shown in an assembly and staff and pupils voted for their favourite performance. 7S is this year’s winner with their entry ‘’Qui je suis, qui sommes-nous?’ (Knowing Me, Knowing You). Congratulations to them and to their teacher, Miss Perry.