From France to Switzerland, Morroco to the Ivory Coast...it’s all aboard the Orient Express for Year 7 pupils at the Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough! Language teachers have teamed up with the geography and drama departments to create a project based on the great train trip, taking a virtual journey through French-speaking countries of the world.

The project takes place in the first half term for new Year 7 pupils, helping to smooth the transition from primary to secondary school. Pupils meet the same fictional characters, scenarios and teaching techniques in all lessons in all three departments; in Drama the story developed as a Murder Mystery, while in Geography pupils learnt about countries visited.

Meanwhile, in French lessons pupils discovered Paris and learnt how to shop for travel necessities, food and clothes – all showing the importance of languages in everyday life. The project built up to an end of term challenge which saw pupils working together to find creative ways to demonstrate their new skills.

In line with the New Secondary National Curriculum in England, this project has cross-curricular aspects and a clear focus on skills; pupils see how what they learn in language lessons makes sense in a wider context, and how they relate to real-life problem solving needs. With the transferable skills they have learnt from this project, pupils are ready to explore the world...

Language(s): French

Macmillan Academy in Middlesbrough is an 11-18 Academy with specialisms in science, outdoor learning and vocational education. The proportion of students entitled to free school meals is well above the national average. Students attend the Academy from a wide geographical area and many are from areas of significant social deprivation.