The aims for this day were to set the context for PML in light of the curriculum review by Jim Rose, to develop understanding of the KS2 framework for Languages, enhance the understanding of the Subject Leader, to develop skills for language learning across the school and to explore Quality First teaching in Primary Modern Languages.
The most important area for us to consider at Woodford Junior School is the reshaping of the Languages Curriculum as the curriculum review suggests the move to 6 key strands. These strands will be skills based curriculum areas. Languages have been incorporated within the strand of ‘Understanding English, communication and languages’. This will encourage and exploit links between literacy and languages and transferable skills.
Key Stage 1 and Post 14 are non statutory elements of Languages for Life, whereas KS2 and KS3 are statutory elements or will be from the academic year 2010 / 2011. If you look at the balance of this there are four years of language at Key Stage 2 and only three years at Key Stage 3. This shifts huge responsibility to Key Stage 2 for the teaching of languages.
The statutory entitlement for languages is 60 minutes. It is suggested that this is best modelled as a 30 minutes discrete lesson followed through the week by 3 x 10 minute integrated sessions. We currently do 30 minutes per week which is blocked into hour sessions for half a term.
It has been suggested that there is an impact on children’s learning across the board, notable a raised achievement in Literacy. Other examples suggest that when multiplications tables are done as a mental oral in French language, the children focus on the language and the facts acquired in Numeracy are incidental.
It is suggested that schools only focus on one or two languages to ensure rigorous and sustained progression across the key stage. This will also ensure that the national expectations of level 4 for languages will be achieved also. This is the end of the preliminary stage of the Language Ladder.
The Rose report recommends that there should be continued rigorous and thorough subject development and a continuance of the development of the Work force. In Plymouth this is going to be through funding of Languages training.
For the next academic year we will not be required to submit an action plan for funding as we have in previous years, rather the money will be accessed through attendance at training days which will be for specific year groups. The funding will be released as ‘supply cover’ through attendance at the courses. The courses themselves will be free. School will be able to send as many staff as they want to each course but supply cover will only be give for one teacher, if both teachers in a year group attend training the school would need to cover the costs for the second and subsequent teacher. These courses are due to start after Easter.
The feeling is very much that teachers will be at the forefront of language delivery therefore attendance at the sessions is vital to develop confidence and ideas for teaching languages. Class teachers will need to develop their skills.
At the moment we use a French Native speaker to help plan and deliver lessons alongside the PML Subject Leader. This often means though that integrated language work does not take place.
In my mind the ideal model for the development of quality first languages at Woodford would be to continue to use Gabrielle along side the subject leader to deliver 30 minute discrete language sessions to each class each week. This would then be supplemented by integrated sessions by staff in their classes, through activities for brain breaks, mental orals, classroom routines etc. It is vital that fun remains at the heart of language learning.
