The French Department in St Kilian’s offers French as an option to all 1st year students and French is available in the school to Leaving Certificate Level. During their study of French at Junior and Senior Cycles, students are encouraged to develop their spoken, written and aural competencies. Given that French must be studied in conjunction with German and Irish in St Kilian’s, it can be a challenging choice for students. While our standards are very high and, while the French Department has consistently produced outstanding results in the Certificate Examinations, we are committed to much more than just the academic achievement of our pupils.
We encourage our students to be independent in their thinking and regardless of their ability; we aim to give them the tools to further their linguistic skills and cultural knowledge outside of the classroom. Although oral communication remains to the fore of what we do, a rigorous approach to grammar also plays a significant role in many lessons. We value all our students equally and aim to challenge and inspire them in every lesson.
The French Department is also dedicated to the social, personal and cultural development of our students. Our pupils interact every day with students from the Lycée Français d’Irlande and, our location on the Eurocampus, helps us greatly in developing their awareness of France and its rich cultural heritage. However, we also organise exchanges with French schools, cultural tours to France, theatre and cinema visits and on campus intra-school exchanges with the Lycée Français d’Irlande.
Currently, the Department has three full time teachers, including one native French speaker. All academic members of staff maintain close links with France and much like the wider student body, benefit greatly from contact with the Lycée Français d’Irlande.
More detailed information on these and other aspects of the Department’s work (including its policy documents) can be found by following the appropriate links on this page. Further enquiries may be addressed to the Secretary or to Cian Hogan, the Head of Department.
