French Department
Teaching Staff
| Miss T Menhenitt | Head of French and Head of Welsh Baccalaureate |
| Mr R Relph | Teacher of French and Head of Sixth Form |
| Mrs I Symonds | Teacher of French |
| Miss J Lemon | Teacher of French and German |
| Mrs S Cameron | Teacher of French and German |
| Miss E Davies | Teacher of French and German |
| Mrs T Davis | Teacher of French and German and Head of Modern Foreign Languages |
| Miss J Lock | Teacher of French and Welsh |
| Mrs Angharad Crompton | Teacher of French and Welsh |
| Mrs Isabelle Wu | French Assistant |
Stanwell's French Department is a thriving and successful department which has been at the forefront of the school's success over the years. With nine members of staff, we offer a blend of youth and experience, all fully committed and enthusiastic with a wealth of skills and knowledge.
We are very fortunate to have Madame Isabelle Wu as our assistante française. Her involvement is predominantly with our sixth form classes; all Year 12 and 13 students have a one-hour conversation lesson per week. In recent years visiting oral examiners have complimented our candidates on their flexibility and spontaneity, due in large part to Madame Wu's efforts with the students. These lessons offer a great opportunity to develop the students' oral skills.
2010 Success
French is a compulsory subject in Key Stage 3 and an increasingly popular option for GCSE. We currently have 4 classes in Year 10 and 5 classes in Year 9. The remarkable success of large numbers of students at GCSE, AS and A Level bears witness to the opportunities available within the department. We enjoy excellent results, with 89% of pupils at GCSE level achieving A*-C in 2010 (39% A*-A, 73% A*-B) and 100% achieving A-C at A-Level (55% A*-A, 89% A-B). At the end of KS3, 88% of Year 9 achieved Level 5 or above, compared to the Welsh average of 67%.
ICT in French
The department embraces all aspects of new technology in its teaching methods. There is regular, scheduled access to the dedicated digitally-based language learning facility in S2, where many pupils practise their skills and extend their knowledge using specialist software and online learning facilities. The department subscribes to a number of language learning websites which are used by the pupils in S2 and as part of classroom-based lessons using the interactive whiteboards.
French Culture and Visits Abroad
The department believes that an awareness of French culture and customs enhances pupils' learning experiences and enjoyment. Year 7 pupils are offered the chance to visit the seaside town Of Boulogne at the end of the summer term, whilst Year 8 are offered the opportunity to sample the cultural delights of Paris and the Parc Disneyland. In class pupils develop their understanding of French culture by learning about the Tour de France and Bastille Day, and also sampling the delights of le petit déjeuner français. European and World Cup tournaments offer the chance for class draws and a more competitive way of learning the names of foreign countries in the target language.
Rewards
We firmly believe that pupils are motivated by positive encouragement. The department has a long-running successful reward scheme, which involves graded certificates, a monthly draw for the opportunity to win small prizes, and a termly draw for a voucher prize.
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