Francophonie Week is a vibrant celebration of the French language and the diverse cultures that share it across the world. It brings together communities, schools, and organisations to highlight the richness of Francophone heritage – from literature and music to cuisine and global dialogue. More than just a linguistic celebration, Francophonie Week promotes cultural exchange, inclusivity, and the shared values that connect French-speaking people across continents.
Reception children celebrated Francophone Day in the most exciting way – by becoming “explorateurs de la Francophonie”! They discovered that French is spoken in many places around the world, including France, Canada, Senegal, and Morocco.
Our class mascot, Camembert, had been on his own adventure but needed the children’s help – he had lost his French stickers! The children eagerly stepped into role, imagining their explorer glasses and setting off to follow clues hidden around the classroom.
At each stop, they completed a fun mission, building their confidence, problem-solving skills, and understanding of the wider world. Their teamwork and perseverance paid off when they discovered the treasure in the “sac magique” – complete with the missing stickers, colourful flags to decorate, and special diplomas celebrating their achievement. It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, using their imagination, developing language skills, and showing great enthusiasm for learning about different cultures.
Year 1 created a collective story inspired by La Chenille qui fait des trous. Each small group produced one page of the class book describing what the caterpillar eats on a different day and wrote one short sentence together using the model from the book. The book is now on display in our class reading corner so pupils can revisit a story they created collaboratively.
Year 2 created a narrative book based on the short film Le Ballon Rouge. After watching selected scenes, the class worked in groups and each pupils were responsible for writing one page that tells part of the story. Each pupils wrote a short paragraph describing one event from the film, can imagine what is happening next and illustrates the scene underneath including key vocabulary related to the film (ballon, garçon, rue, enfants, voler, courir, suivre). The book is now on display in our class reading corner so pupils can revisit a story they created collaboratively.
In Year 3, to celebrate Francophonie week, we have been writing our own versions of the well known French comic – Mortelle Adele. We decided to take the ‘C’est pas ma Faute’ edition as our inspiration, and based each of our stories on different weather types. They aren’t yet quite complete, but here is a taster of what is to come!
Year 4 had the wonderful opportunity to meet with another Year 4 class from École Bilingue St Jérôme in Harrow for an exciting art competition inspired by Swiss artist Jean Tinguely. Like our school, they also hold the LabelFrancEducation. Working in teams, the children were given one hour to design and build a structure using recycled materials. Awards were presented for categories such as creativity, teamwork, and resemblance to the artist’s style. It was a day full of joy, creativity, and laughter, and one we hope to repeat in the future!
Meanwhile, Year 5 and 6 pupils created posters inspired by Le Petit Nicolas, the much-loved French film that follows the adventures of a group of mischievous schoolboys.
We ended the week on a high note with Le Grand Goûter in full swing. The Friends served up delicious crêpes, cakes, and drinks to keep everyone refreshed as we celebrated together. In the front garden, there was a wonderful atmosphere as everyone enjoyed the workshops, pétanque, games, and the spirit of Francophonie.
