East Riding of Yorkshire LEA

Primary Modern Foreign Languages in the East Riding of Yorkshire

In July 1996, as I was contemplating the move from the classroom to advisory work, I received a call from the South Hunsley partnership of schools, asking if I would be able to support a project to introduce French teaching into all the primary schools in the cluster. As this coincided with the announcement of the SCAA conference on Primary MFL held in London in October of that year, it seemed as though it was apposite to begin to explore the issue of Primary MFL in greater depth.

Three Schools in the cluster already taught French- one from Year 3 onwards. Parental interest, combined with a strong desire from the secondary school to have all their pupils on a level playing field, drove the desire to introduce French into the primary curriculum. There are eight schools in this cluster - no two organised in the same way. Size leads to a combination of mixed-age and single age classes; but, importantly, 90% of the children move on to the same secondary school. The decision was therefore made to introduce French into Year 5 and Year 6 phased over two years. Work to plan the course took place throughout 1996 - 97, in close collaboration with the LEA, and the first Year 6 groups started to learn French in September 1997, followed by Year 5 and Year 6 in 1998.

The cornerstone of this project has been collaboration. The secondary school has never imposed content or teaching styles on the Primary schools, but has been involved every step of the way both in developing the course content, based initially on Pilote, and in supporting the class teachers who have been at the sharp end of delivery. This has taken the form of training and half-termly review meetings, often involving the Adviser, to assess progress and plan the next steps. An important feature of the project was an initial pump-priming training course, delivered by the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside. This involved individual assessment of teachers' linguistic needs, and an introduction to methodology. The confidence boost this delivered was much needed in getting the teachers, none of whom would have been termed a specialist, ready to deliver.

Now three years into the course, the scheme of work, subject to rigorous review at both primary and secondary level, and composed of teaching content and strategies proven to work through experience, has been published, and is available both to local schools following in the Hunsley footsteps as well as beyond the Authority if interest is expressed. The secondary teachers continue to offer support, particularly to any teachers coming new into the cluster, and this course is now a regular event in the LEA advice and support calendar. This year, the first cohorts from the Primary French PGCE course at University of Hull, will join us for that course, as well as teachers from other schools in the Authority.

The development of Modern Language teaching in the East Riding is expanding. As well as several pockets of interest from individual schools, in 2000, a grant from the DfES to the local Education Action Zone led to the introduction of language teaching in 23 further Primary schools in two complete clusters; the opening of a language college will lead to language work being carried out in its immediate cluster. These are two quite distinct models which show the diverse nature of MFL provision at primary level. We are now getting Key Stage 1 pupils involved, and this has major implications, above all for continuity and progression. It is for this reason that we are delighted to continue to work with CILT in the second phase of the ELL initiative. We shall be working with South Gloucestershire LEA where outstanding work has already been done, and exploring the whole issue of continuity and progression, building on the work begun in the South Hunsley Cluster. We are grateful to CILT for their on-going support, which has been invaluable in our work so far.

Primary modern foreign languages in the East Riding is healthy, and the Local Education Authority will continue to work in partnership with its schools, and with CILT through the Yorkshire Rose Comenius Centre, where, with colleagues in City of York and North Yorkshire, a regional support group, including specific Key Stage 1 support, will operate from this September. The programme is exciting, and looking ahead. Primary modern foreign languages is here to stay.

David Stork, Adviser in Modern Foreign Languages, East Riding LEA

DELL Projects | South Hunsley Cluster | East Riding of Yorkshire