French Semi-Immersion Program

The cognitive and practical benefits of a bilingual education are indisputable; development of thinking skills and executive function, improved memory, and opportunities to work and travel abroad are only a few examples.

Pembroke is hence excited to launch its French Semi-Immersion Program, with its first Year 7 class in 2023. Students will benefit from this unique opportunity for accelerated development of intercultural understanding, cognitive skills and the ability to communicate fluently in French. Over 4 years (Years 7–10) students with some prior background in the language will accelerate in their acquisition of French through intensive exposure to the language through the Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) methodology, in which students acquire language through the study of other subjects using the target language. They will attend an average of two lessons per day in French for the following subjects: French Language and Literature (Years 7–10), History and Geography (Years 7–10) and Art and Drama (Year 7 only).

Students graduating from the program will then have the opportunity to study French at advanced levels in Years 11 and 12, including IB Diploma Higher Level French B, IB Diploma French A (Literature) or early-entry French at Adelaide or Flinders universities. We are confident that we will be able to set up an exchange as well as reinstate our biennial French Trip in the near future.

Graduation from the bilingual semi-immersion program will also facilitate opportunities to travel, study and work in French-speaking countries across the world, and will therefore offer graduates of the program a significant advantage in their journeys beyond school.

Clémence Semmler
Language Coordinator (French)