Dear Parents,
Le Club Frère Jacques specialises in teaching French to children aged from 3
to 11. Our aim is to encourage a positive attitude towards learning languages
which will equip children to succeed in their future schools. Above all we
make French fun and easy to learn.
Why start so young?
Perhaps a better question would be why do most English schools leave it so late. We believe
that young children are naturally receptive to learning languages. Dr. Montessori compared
the young mind to a sponge, saying that children "will learn a language without formal
instruction and without the conscious effort which an adult must make to master a foreign
tongue". Accurate pronunciation follows naturally at this age. Children are excellent
imitators and will acquire a near native accent - if taught by a native speaker. In most other
European countries these ideas have been put into practice and people from all walks of life
are competent in a second language. In England sadly, the National Curriculum still needs to
address this. By giving your children the chance to learn a language now, you will equip
them for the future - in a Europe where many top jobs already require bi-lingual ability.
What do they learn?
Our method follows the way a child learns his mother tongue. Lessons are entertaining and
include a variety of activities such as games, songs and stories. The sessions are short and
regular. During the school year, pupils progress from simple greetings and basic nouns to
participation in real-life situations.
Structured programme
Children cover a new theme each term. The programme is carefully designed to cover key
areas, revise earlier material and to provide clear entry points for beginners and intermediate
pupils at any age.
Why Le Club Frère Jacques ?
All Le Club Frère Jacques' teachers are native French speakers. As well as teaching the
language, they introduce children to French culture and traditions. Teaching languages to
young children requires a special gift. Our teachers are carefully selected. We constantly
monitor performance and provide ongoing training with new materials.
Small groups
The average class size is around ten. We find having small groups maximises participation,
and we try to teach children of the same age and ability together.
Le Club Frère Jacques has been a great success since we first started 22 years ago. We now
visit schools all over London and Cambridge as well as running many after-school clubs.
Yours sincerely,
Roy Beggerow
Le Club Frère Jacques are very proud of the calibre of their team of teachers, who provide
quality tuition not only in our after-school clubs, but also in nurseries, prep and primary
schools, a fact illustrated by the many positive comments we receive, a few of which appear
below.
Extracts from the OFSTED report
“...With a native French speaker, pupils hear and become attuned to a model of authentic
French. Lessons are almost entirely in French with the emphasis insistently on hearing and
developing spoken French. .The sessions have a good pace with seamless shifts from one
section of the lesson to another. No time is wasted. Useful, everyday vocabulary and the
basic structures of simple French conversation are introduced vividly and provide enjoyment
as well as effective learning. There is visible progress as new material is reinforced and
practised. Some responses are choral but as confidence grows the teacher obtains individual
French responses from pupils too, and individuals’ accuracy is often checked. Hand puppets
are used to simulate conversation and simple games in French hold pupils’ concentration.
The children’s commitment is sustained by the teacher’s enthusiasm, praise for pupils’
efforts and skill at ‘dramatising’ the activities. In particular, taped songs work well to
establish basic phrase patterns and sounds and the pupils love to sing them....”
A parent’s reaction
I am always thrilled when I overhear the children exchanging sentences in French, and never more
so when on a recent half term holiday they visited a small school in France for a couple of days and
found no problem at all in communicating with their contemporaries. Surely they would never have
had the ability or the confidence without this.
Karen Whitaker of Radio 4’s Education Matters
I was very impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of the staff which clearly transmitted itself
to the children. The all important atmosphere of fun was evident and the children seemed to be
picking up the language quite effortlessly.
I spoke at length to one or two experts on early language learning and I felt that in describing what to
look for in a good language club they were practically describing Le Club Frère Jacques.
Children’s letters
Bonjour. Je m’appelle Luke. J’habite à Barnes. J’ai neuf ans.
Je suis fils unique. J’ai un chat. Je joue au football tous les mercredis. Je
supporte Newcastle United. J’aime manger les pizzas. J’apprends le français
depuis six ans. A bientôt Luke.
Bonjour, je m’appelle Jessica. J’habite à Barnes: J’ai huit ans. J’ai une petite
sœur. J’ai deux chats. Ma sœur a un hamster qui s’appelle Henrietta. Je
joue du violoncelle et du piano. J’aime jouer au football avec ma famille et
manger des gâteaux au chocolat.