French-Australian Bilingual Program
Learning in two languages. Connecting two cultures.
Tingalpa State School offers a French-Australian Bilingual Program from Prep to Year 6, bringing together the French and Australian curricula. Students learn through both French and English, building connections between languages, cultures and areas of learning.
Our program
In 2015, Tingalpa State School introduced Queensland's first French-Australian Bilingual Program, with support from the Queensland Department of Education and the French Ministry of Education through the French Embassy in Canberra.
A partnership between the Queensland Department of Education and the French Embassy in 2017 supported accreditation through the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE), initially for Prep to Year 3. The program has continued to develop, combining French and Australian curriculum requirements.
In 2023, the bilingual program expanded through collaboration with Whites Hill State College, providing a pathway for students to continue French bilingual education into secondary school. Both schools are now AEFE-accredited for specified year levels.
Why bilingual learning?
Learning through French and English gives students opportunities to strengthen communication, develop flexible thinking and deepen their understanding of other cultures. Students work across both languages as they learn the knowledge and skills set out in the harmonised curriculum.
How the curriculum works
The program draws on the French Bulletin Officiel de l'Éducation Nationale (BOEN) and the Australian Curriculum (AC). The balance of French and English instruction changes as students progress through school.
| Year level (French equivalent) | French | English |
|---|
| Prep (Grande Section) | 80% | 20% |
| Years 1–2 (CP, CE1) | 80% | 20% |
| Years 3–4 (CE2, CM1) | 60% | 40% |
| Years 5–6 (CM2, 6e) | 50% | 50% |
Percentages represent the proportion of teaching time delivered in each language, as outlined in the school's program.
Subjects taught in each language
The subjects below follow the school's published curriculum arrangements. Some subjects appear in both languages as part of the harmonised approach.
Prep — Grande Section (80% French / 20% English)
In French: French, Mathematics, HASS (History and Geography), Science, Technologies (Digital and Design) and Visual Arts.
In English: English, The Arts (Music, Drama, Media Arts and Dance), and Health and Physical Education.
Years 1–2 — CP and CE1 (80% French / 20% English)
In French: French, Mathematics, HASS (History and Geography), Technologies (Digital and Design) and Visual Arts.
In English: English, Science, The Arts (Music, Drama, Media Arts and Dance), and Health and Physical Education.
Years 3–4 — CE2 and CM1 (60% French / 40% English)
In French: French, Mathematics, HASS (History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship), Technologies (Digital and Design), Visual Arts and Dance.
In English: English, Science, Mathematics, HASS (History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship), The Arts (Music, Drama, Media Arts and Dance), and Health and Physical Education.
Years 5–6 — CM2 and 6e (50% French / 50% English)
In French: French, Mathematics, HASS (History and Geography), Technologies (Digital and Design), Visual Arts and Dance.
In English: English, Science, Mathematics, HASS (Civics and Citizenship, Economics and Business), The Arts (Music, Drama, Media Arts and Dance), and Health and Physical Education.
Teachers, assessment and reporting
Students work with Australian teachers and French-trained, native French-speaking teachers. Typically, one teacher instructs in English and another in French, with teaching arranged across English and French days. All teachers are required to be registered with the Queensland College of Teachers.
French assessments are aligned with BOEN requirements, English assessments with the Australian Curriculum, and other subjects with the harmonised curriculum requirements.
Families receive a Queensland Department of Education report each semester, including French BOEN grading.