LEA Primary Pathfinders

On 9 June 2003, Education Minister, Catherine Ashton set out how schools in nineteen Local Education Authorities (LEAs) would set the trail for a revolution in language learning as a first step towards ensuring all seven to eleven year olds have the opportunity to learn a foreign language. Nineteen LEAs have been selected to take part in pilot projects and develop strategies that will: introduce language learning for seven to elelven year old; share good practice both within and outside their LEA; share resources such as experienced staff and specialist equipment; foster professional development and develop local, regional, national and international partnerships.

The nineteen LEA areas are Barking & Dagenham, Birmingham, Brighton & Hove, Bury, Coventry, East Riding, Enfield, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hampshire, Kent, Knowsley, Lancashire, Liverpool, Oldham, Norfolk, North Tyneside, Nottinghamshire, Richmond-upon-Thames, Sheffield.

The DfES website will feature up to date information of developments as they take place. Click on the following link for further information: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/languages/whatson_primary_ks2.cfm

Barking & Dagenham
A small urban LEA with a current low baseline of MFL activity. Sixteen schools across the LEA will be involved in the initiative from the outset, with support from local secondary schools for planning and curriculum work. Pathfinder work in Barking & Dagenham will build on the strong ICT focus in the area and on their experience of the new KS3 MFL strategy framework.

Birmingham
Good existing MFL work right across the spectrum from early years to adult learning. Four clusters will operate as part of this initiative, with secondary schools, Specialist Language Colleges, the local Comenius Centre, FE and HE institutions all working in conjunction with 40 primary schools to introduce language learning to 7-11 year olds. Primary schools involved in the pathfinder programme will be looking at different delivery models for the teaching of languages.

Brighton & Hove
The Specialist Language College will take a lead role, but pathfinder primary schools will be given a large degree of responsibility and flexibility. Will create links between MFL work and existing work in other areas of the curriculum by 'drip feeding' language through normal daily routines. Development work will also be undertaken with Brighton and Sussex University PGCE course directors to create a 'starter' module in MFL to equip primary trained non-specialist teachers to use MFL teaching materials in their classes.

Bury
Bury LEA will work in conjunction with Oldham LEA for this initiative. Bury LEA have a low baseline of current MFL activity. Bury's plans have placed quite a lot of emphasis on developing existing teaching and support staff to enable them to teach languages at KS2. Plan to include the teaching of community languages alongside modern foreign languages. Pupils in participating schools will receive a minimum of 30 minutes MFL study per week in each year group throughout KS2.

Coventry
Coventry LEA are proposing to offer community languages alongside their modern foreign language provision, with pupils sharing their mother tongue with their peers. 10 schools will be involved in the first phase of the programme, with a further group of 30 -40 schools joining the programme in phase two. Local Higher Education Institutes will play a role in this pathfinder, which will also have a strong ICT focus.

East Riding
A large, mainly rural LEA with a strong history of language work in primary schools, illustrated by their involvement in the CILT led Good Practice Guide and Early Language Learning initiative. East Riding have developed their own schemes of work for teaching languages to primary pupils and are also looking at ways in which primary language learning skills can be recognised in secondary schools. East Riding will be aiming to provide language lessons through a 'virtual learning environment'.

Enfield
Enfield intends to include the teaching of Turkish alongside other modern foreign languages as part of the pathfinder programme. Enfield plan to have an e-pal in a foreign country for every pupil taking part in the pathfinder, and to use ICT facilities to make class to class links between local primary and secondary schools to support language learning. In the first year of the pathfinder, 6 secondaries, 11 primaries and 1 special school will be involved.

Hammersmith and Fulham
There is currently a low baseline of MFL activity in Hammersmith & Fulham. 6 primary schools will initially be involved in the pathfinder work, which will include the teaching of community languages alongside modern foreign languages. Schools will test ways of integrating language teaching into other areas of the curriculum and throughout the school day.

Hampshire
Large LEA with a history of MFL work. French, German and Spanish will be taught. Initially, 15 'families' of schools will be established, with one or two secondaries supporting the work of between 4 and 10 primaries. The LEA's five Specialist Language Colleges will play a key role. Schools will test ways of integrating language teaching into other areas of the curriculum.
The four to sixteen partnership based at Bohunt Language College is exploring ways of developing an immersive approach to MFL. To find out more information, please click here.

Lancashire
3 Specialist Language Colleges will support up to 64 primary schools to deliver modern foreign language learning into primary schools. This will include involving smaller schools in rural areas. A local Comenius Centre will also support the work of schools in the pathfinder. Other key parts of the proposal include providing intensive training for teachers that will be delivering MFL teaching, and finding solutions to teaching mixed age classes.

Liverpool
Liverpool, as an experienced leader in delivering primary MFL, will support neighbouring Knowsley in their MFL work. Both LEAs have fostered strong links with local/regional stakeholders, including John Moores and Liverpool Hope Universities, Liverpool FC and BBC Project Merseyside. Each LEA will deploy different delivery models, with clusters of primary schools being supported by secondaries in Knowsley.

In Liverpool, a large team of Foreign Language Assistants deliver MFL in the primary schools, supported by specialist Advisory Teachers, Primary ASTs, secondary solleagues and Specialist Langauge Colleges. From September 2003, Pathfinder has enabled the LEA to extend the provsion in 44 primary schools and to start the teaching of MFL in 23 new primary schools. Schools receive 45 minutes per week from the'visiting expert' and classroom teachers provide further follow-on sessions in MFL. Pathfinder has also enabled the LEA to provide weekly language lessons for classroom teachers.

Oldham
Oldham LEA is intending to offer the teaching of community languages alongside modern foreign languages. This will be supported by the LEA's Ethnic Minority Support Service. 15 primaries and an associated 'parent' secondary school will initially take part in the programme. Oldham will be working with local Higher Education Institutes and exploring links with the local business community to see how they can support primary language learning. Oldham will work collaboratively with Bury LEA.

Norfolk
Norfolk's pathfinder will include small schools and those that deliver mixed age classes. 3 Specialist Language Colleges and one primary beacon school will act as the 4 hubs through which languages will be delivered to 22 primary schools initially. Each hub will develop and implement different ways of teaching MFL in primary schools. Norfolk will also explore mutually supportive educational exchanges with teachers from Toulouse, and work with Kent LEA to gain from their experience and support.

North Tyneside
North Tyneside aims to deliver primary MFL entitlement to all KS2 pupils in the LEA by 2006 and then extend lessons learnt from the experience to schools in Durham LEA, a non-pathfinder area. Monkseaton Language College and the local Comenius Centre will both play key roles in the delivery of the pathfinder. Initial teaching of languages will be by 'visiting' teachers, but with the aim to develop the skills of the general class teacher so they are eventually able to deliver the language teaching themselves. The LEA will utilise strong links with ICT providers (Granada Learning) to support delivery of MFL.

Nottinghamshire
The LEA groups its schools in 48 'families' of secondaries and their feeder primaries, and it is on this basis that the pathfinders will be delivered. All families will agree a common approach to MFL work. Teachers with limited or no language knowledge will have access to language college booster courses so that they will be able to deliver MFL to children. LEA plans to work collaboratively with Barking & Dagenham pathfinder and also with Sunderland LEA, a non-pathfinder area.

Richmond-upon-Thames
Richmond upon Thames is an experienced LEA with history of primary MFL commitment. Richmond upon Thames was one of CILT's 18 Good Practice Projects and has developed its own curriculum materials for MFL at KS2. The LEA will provide language learning for French, German, Italian and Spanish. LEA will introduce a family languages centre based in a primary school to offer Bengali classes in addition to the existing Arabic classes. Teachers and support staff will be encouraged to improve their own foreign language competency through the Languages Centre at the Roehampton Institute.

Sheffield
The Specialist Language College and other secondaries will provide outreach work to their primary 'feeder' schools. Existing primary teacher and support staff will be able to go through training to develop their skills to be able to teach languages (accreditation for this training will be developed through the local Universities). Spanish, German, French and Italian will be offered across the LEA, and one secondary school will support its primaries to provide community languages alongside modern foreign languages. Aim to create a language syllabus agreed by primaries and secondaries to ensure that primary language learning is not 'lost' when pupils transfer to secondary school.

Please note: some of these LEAs are working together on joint projects

The pathfinders began work in the Autumn term of 2003 and will run until the end of the Summer term of 2005. During this period the pathfinders will be monitored throughout and independently evaluated, culminating in a final report towards the end of 2005. This report will help to determine how modern foreign languages will be taught in primary schools.

source: DfES website (2003) http://www.dfes.gov.uk/languages/whatson_primary_ks2.cfm