At St David’s we believe children should have a thorough education in a specific modern foreign language from a young age. A specialist French teacher delivers lessons to all pupils in Form 1 to Form 6.

From Reception, children develop their French speaking skills in lessons which incorporate songs, games and rhymes to make their learning fun and as interactive as possible. As pupils move through the infant classes, language-learning skills are developed and the children embrace role-plays and competitive games. Pupils also explore the culture of France.

Junior pupils move on to a one-hour lesson per week where they begin to cover material from the Year 7 national curriculum. This includes a balance of the four disciplines: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing and some simple grammar. Lessons often feature videos, songs, puzzles, competitions and performances.

Junior pupils are able to watch performances by French Theatre Groups and experience a French-themed day. A group of Form 5 students take part each year in a French performance as part of a ‘Love Languages’ programme at a nearby secondary school. 

French at St David’s goes significantly further than the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum and lays a solid foundation for students who continue French at secondary school, setting them off to a flying start when they move into Year 7.