French
There has never been a more exciting and critical time to learn French at a time where we need to reach out to our closest European partners on the continent. More than 800 million people speak French across the globe, and the objective in the French department at all levels is to create confident French speakers who can thrive in authentic contexts beyond the classroom.
Indeed, many pupils who continue with French beyond school do so for a number of reasons. They recognise that French is a language for the international job market, and want to enhance their career prospects in key sectors such as commerce, engineering, law or banking.
Other pupils see French as integral to their future careers in diplomacy and international relations, given its status as the official language of leading European institutions. For others, it is France’s rich cultural heritage that particularly appeals to them, with its world-renowned music, art and literature, not to mention the nation’s famed philosophical tradition.
Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays où il existe 258 variétés de fromage ? - How can anyone govern a nation where there are 258 varieties of cheese ?
Charles de Gaulle
The French department is a diverse department that aims to foster an international outlook and to engage meaningfully with the target language and culture. We encourage pupils to embrace the process of language learning, with solid grammatical foundations just as central to our approach as an immersive, communicative style of learning. Lessons are engaging and fun, stretching yet supportive, and provide pupils with the skills required to succeed at all levels.
Si ton tonton tond ton tonton, ton tonton sera tondu - If your uncle shaves your uncle, your uncle will be shaved
French tongue twister
Lower School
The Lower School French course offers a rich and varied beginners’ programme designed to accelerate pupils’ linguistic skills. Through engaging topics and structured progression, pupils develop fluency, confidence and a strong grammatical foundation. Across three lessons each week, pupils explore vocabulary, grammar, conversation, translation and reading. Rapid vocabulary acquisition and consolidation are central to the course, with weekly tests and chapter vocabulary available both as a hard copy and on Quizlet. Verbs are also tested regularly to ensure that essential knowledge becomes secure. Questions and answers, role plays, and short performances encourage pupils to communicate confidently and enjoy using French creatively. Games, translation activities and dictations further reinforce learning. By combining rigorous study with active participation, the course prepares every pupil for future success in French.
Middle School
The Middle School French course offers a stimulating and carefully structured programme designed to develop confident and enthusiastic linguists. Pupils explore topics including family life, education, holidays, health, and the environment, steadily expanding their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge. Grammar is introduced progressively, while varied speaking, listening, reading, writing and translation activities provide a balanced approach to learning. Speaking tasks, conversation practice, and (in the Upper Fourth and Fifth Forms) lessons with the language assistant help pupils communicate naturally and confidently. Cultural enrichment is central to the course. Through history, art, literature, music, film and philosophy, pupils discover the diversity of the French-speaking world and engage with authentic materials. Combining rigorous study with creative activities and cultural exploration, the course builds strong examination skills, independence and a lasting appreciation of French.
Sixth Form
Pupils who sign up for French A Level in Lower Sixth from MCS or other schools do so in order to build on the foundations laid at GCSE and to delve deeper into global issues and culture through the target language. A typical week might include a debate about the French brand of secularism, watching a film about the Occupation of France during WWII, and the translation of various English texts into French.
The French A Level course has been designed to inspire all pupils who have an appreciation of the language, literature, film, and culture of the French-speaking world.
The qualification has a straightforward structure with four engaging themes: Les changements dans la société française; La culture politique et artistique dans les pays francophones; L’immigration et la société multiculturelle française; L’Occupation et la Résistance. What pupils often enjoy most are the films and texts studied, both as part of the course, as well as in seminars with our Waynflete intern. The department creates opportunities for Lower Sixth pupils to take a lead with French events via our ambassador programme.
Further Inspiration
If you are thinking about studying French in the Sixth Form at MCS, you might want to start reading around the subject before you join. Our Study Preparation guides are a useful tool, detailing further reading around key topics.
Extra-curricular
The French Department at MCS offers a rich and varied extra-curricular programme.
- We run a bi-annual trip to the Opal Coast for Upper Fourth and Fifth Form pupils, including a visit to a bakery, a chocolate factory, a goat farm, a market, a game of laser tag, and an afternoon at the beach.
- We run regular competitions and activities, encouraging pupils to try their hand at writing short stories in French, composing and performing pop songs, creating a newspaper, making and flipping pancakes, and translating poetry from French into English.
- We make the most of our proximity to the University of Oxford, hosting visiting guest speakers from the Modern Languages faculty, as well as visiting the Maison Française and the Ashmoleam Museum.
Where French could take you
French is highly valued by leading universities and employers around the world. Many pupils leave MCS to go on to read French at Oxbridge or Russell group universities, either in combination with another language or another discipline. One of the main advantages of pursuing a modern language at undergraduate level is the opportunity to live abroad doing an internship with a company, working as a teacher, or attending a foreign university.
Many OWs with a degree in French go on to work in a diverse range of sectors such as marketing, international relations, research, law or engineering. We rely on the experience of these OWs to encourage would-be linguists to consider languages at degree level for the doors it has opened for them personally.
