To help the Y11 GCSE students with their speaking practice in French, we set up the speaking club which runs Monday lunchtimes. Students work in pairs or small groups to practise role plays, describing a picture as well as asking about and giving opinions on topics they are learning, for example, recycling, pollution, climate change, homelessness and voluntary work. Different media are used such as music and video clips, photos and texts.

The complexity of topics requires complexity of language, including vocabulary and grammar, and it is this precisely, that is practised during these sessions. Students have commented on the usefulness of the sessions and these will continue until the GCSE exams.