This week, we had the pleasure of visiting Banstead Prep School in Surrey to celebrate European Day of Languages. Our expert facilitator, Rachel Southern, delivered a series of engaging French storytelling sessions for students from Reception through to Year 6.

Here’s what Helen Abbot, the Languages Lead at Banstead, had to say about our visit . . .

MFL Storytelling – Reception to year 4

One actor, two classic fairy tales and no English.  A workshop, entirely in French, for some of our youngest children.  What was I hoping to achieve?

Some entertainment, a lot of laughter, a tiny bit of chaos and, above all, the acquisition of some very important language skills – and this is exactly what happened on Tuesday.  Will the children remember the French words for “3 little pigs” and “Goldilocks”?  Probably not, and that was never the intention.

Rather, by seamlessly integrating the French language into recognisable events, the children reached a complete understanding of the stories.  They have developed the invaluable linguistic and social skills of interpretation through context and inferring meaning through visual cues.  I am sure that a sea of foreign language will never seem as daunting to them again, and this will spark their curiosity to understand individual words.

That said, I know that most of them will remember the word mange!  It took one prompt from the actor to shout “Mange!” instead of “Eat it!” and that became the anthem for the rest of the show.  A show that they will remember long after the ringing in my ears from their over-exuberance has died down!

The Three Musketeers – Years 5 and 6

“All for one and one for all!” was the resolute motto of the year 5 and 6 workshop on Tuesday.  It was wonderful to witness such a strong spirit of support among the students as they explored the classic French story of the Three Musketeers by Dumas.  Many of the children had the opportunity to act out a part and the audience were exceptional in responding positively to their peers.  This workshop, unlike in the younger years, was narrated in English, with the cast and audience producing memorable phrases in French to enrich the narration.

All the children enjoyed the chaos of fight scenes, the humour of the arrogant characters and the happy outcome of the story.  I am confident that much French was learnt, French culture was appreciated and new drama skills were unleashed.

Helen Abbott, Subject leader of languages, Banstead Prep School