Language, dear oh dear.

Part of my time on holiday at Twickenham has been spent reading Le Monde, Le Figaro and the readings for Lenten Masses in French. There was never any doubt that I would pass my New South Wales HSC exam (then called the Leaving Certificate) in French. I was helped that oral French was not required in this state in 1952, at least.

However, when I came to France in 2002 I realsied how much Frech I did not know. I certainly know much more now and can often enough carry on some conversations in French. On quite a few topics, there is much too-ing and fro-ing. One of my problems is picking up the French sounds, but I also have problems picking up English sounds the waysome English, Irish and Scottish people use them. If only thery spoke with an Aussie accent!

The medium of communication and teaching is overwhelmingly English, and the main examination we head for is the most challenging and most highly-regarded English examination, the International Cambridge A levels, and on the way the International Cambridge GCSE and AS levels. We have had some great results at these exams. For example, two sons of teachers, boys who had just a few months before turning ten years obtained A stars. They were a litle too young to be taught at the college, attended the local Catholic French school, and studied English at the college on Wednesdays.

French primary schools do not have school on Wednesdays, their middle schools have either no school on Wednesday or a half-day, and high schools have no school on Wednesday afternoons.

I would say perhaps, 90% of our pupils have obtained A stars in French. I can remember only one boy not obtaining at least a B at French, and there were good reasons why this happened. One of the students at our sister school of La Bonne Nouvelle, came for only one term before returning as arranged when she was enroled for highly regarded Geelong Grammar School, Prince Charles, old school in Australia, and is topping her class in French, the last I heard.

It is a puzzle to me why more English-speaking students, who are looking for a Catholic education where their faith will be protected and strengthened by the example of staff and students, and want to have a second, and even a third language, do not give Chavagnes a try for at least a year or two or preferably much more. Researchers, professionals in many fields, business people and those seeking a wider perspective in life, are enormously enriched by a really good knowlege of another language.

Some of the boys were 12 years of age amd others who sat, with great success for the French examinations well before the usual age for doing so. We have other boys, not natives of the countries in question, who can speak Spanish and German fluently, and sat for examination in these subjects well before time with great success. I have travelled from Stansted to Liverpool Street enjoying hearing one of our 12 year-old past English students speaking fluently in Spanish to a Spanish family. He did not know any Spanish before he came to Chavagnes less than two years before.

As for the French boys who come to the college they learn to speak and write English in a year, and one can talk to them about anything in English as easily as speaking to the Englsih boys. At the end of two years these boys, who are as young as 11 when they arrive, they are delightedt to be speaking English fluently. One Spanish boys obtined a high grade, in A level English, and graduated to be now studying International Law at a prestigious Spanish university near his home in Pamplona now.

Of course, the students mentioned above and all the students at the college benefit immeasurably in other ways through their immersion in a number of languages and acqaintance with other European Catholic cultures.