Prep French

At St Michael’s Prep School we introduce children to the enjoyment and benefits of learning a foreign language and discovering another culture in their French lessons.

Learning French is lively, varied and enjoyable and gives our pupils the capability and confidence to understand and use French for effective communication.

Our children develop the ability to understand what they hear and read as well as expressing themselves accurately in speech and writing. We are sensitive to our pupils’ strengths and weaknesses with language learning, providing differentiated tasks or extra help as necessary. We give the classroom an overall sense of coherence and structure in delivering the curriculum.

The pupils have opportunities to use their French successfully through a fantastic array of trips and activities. Several events take place during the year which add enjoyment to learning languages and discovering other cultures, such as European Day of Languages, French Day and language competitions. We also encourage our pupils to put their French into practice with a trip to London’s French Institute in Year 6 and a week-long trip to France in Year 7.

Our bilingual French pupils are taught by native teachers to allow them to continue developing their mother tongue. Oral skills are developed further and bilingual pupils consolidate their existing knowledge of French, learning the most advanced aspects of French grammar, conjugation and spelling. Meanwhile, their vocabulary and written expression are enhanced by the study of French books and texts. We also encourage their creative writing.