All French groups meet approximately 35 times over the year. To ensure progression, regular attendance is strongly recommended.

French Beginners    

Group leader:   Sheila Milner

Weekly    Tuesday 10.00 -11.30   

 St Leonard’s centre. Oakley

Starting date: 

The Beginners group concentrates on members who have some knowledge of French, having learnt it at school or through some other form of learning and who would like to refresh and improve their language skills. It is NOT intended for complete beginners.

French Improvers    

Group leader: Liliane White

Weekly    Tuesday 10.00-12.00   

 St Leonard’s centre. Oakley

Starting date: Mid to late September.

The group is for people who have completed at least 1 year in the Beginners’ group or who were in the French Improvers group and wish to improve their confidence in the language.  We shall be using Façon de Parler book 2. (starting from huitième unité) The class is friendly and informal and the aim is to be able to converse using fairly simple French and to boost people’s confidence in doing so. Members are expected to be proactive and step in when Liliane is away.

French Conversation Group.    

Group Leader: Jo Head.  

Weekly: Tuesday 10.00 to 11.45

This group has been running successfully for several years for general conversation in French at individual members homes – but since Covid the group has mainly met via Zoom with occasional face-face meetings. The current intention in the future is to have a mix of Zoom and face-face meetings. There are 10 regulars currently but we would welcome new members who have some knowledge of, and ability with, French. We discuss current affairs linked to Britain and France, activities and holidays, hobbies, home and family life and occasional personal discussions.

Note: Each week we have two sessions with a coffee break in between. We don’t use any formal study materials but members do on occasions use printed material to show others and encourage conversation. The aim of the group is spontaneous conversation in French. We make mistakes but it is enjoyable and interesting.

French Intermediate    

Group leader: Mark Judd  

Weekly meetings term time Monday 10.00-12.00 

St Leonard’s centre. Oakley. 

Starting: Mid to late September.

The Intermediate Group is informal and a self-help group. It is best suited to people with a fair knowledge of French and interest in French culture and life who wish to consolidate their knowledge and read, write and converse in the language. It is expected that members will attend regularly.

Current activities. The format is flexible and collaborative and the atmosphere relaxed. Session themes can be chosen and led by any in the group. Short stories and literary texts at intermediate level are regular favourites to read, translate and discuss together. Newspaper or magazine articles and podcasts are also used to stimulate discussion in French. The aim is to converse in French as much as possible – but with plenty of breaks – and to share common interests in all aspects of French life and culture. There is no formal teaching of grammar but the group are always happy to discuss and help each other with finer language points as they arise, but with access to a French teacher and speaker as necessary.

French Advanced    

Group leader: Liliane White

Weekly meetings term time  Monday 10.00-12.00

St Leonard’s centre. Oakley. 

Starting: Mid to late September

The Advanced Group, taken by Liliane, who is French, is for people with a good knowledge of French who wish to read, write and converse in the language as well as learn about current events in France. There are currently 20 members in the group and regular attendance is important.

Current activities

Liliane sends the group reading material via email midweek. It is usually based on current affairs or famous French people / places / events and is accompanied by questions for the group to prepare ahead of each meeting. The meetings themselves consist of general conversation between the members, discussion of current world and French news, presentations as well as guided reading and occasionally some grammar points.

The group members are encouraged to be proactive and to take it in turn to present topics which interest them as well as to step in when Liliane is absent.