Oughtrington Primary School, Lymm Warrington

This modern foreign languages project began six years ago at Oughtrington Primary School. At its conception it was a post KS2 SATS language project to introduce pupils in Year six to a small amount of French and German in the summer term before they began their secondary school careers. This project was an immediate success and the confidence of the pupils was boosted as they approached the unknown of learning a foreign language at senior school. We aren't frightened of starting to learn a new language was a sentiment expressed by quite a few of the pupils, who now in Year eleven often refer back to the fun they had when they first started to learn French and German.

The following year, French and German were introduced as weekly timetabled lessons for all year six pupils. Over the last six years the programme has been developed and monitored by a secondary trained modern foreign languages teacher, Janet Lloyd, who has current practical experience of delivering the Curriculum at both key stage two, and secondary level.

The project has become a well received and successful scheme called: "Los! Allez! Let's Go!"

"Los!" because the pupils start to learn German, "Allez!" because they also start to learn French and "Lets Go!" because as one teacher pointed out the teacher does "let go" and allows the pupils to experience and develop good practice ways of acquiring new language. "It's easy to learn French when it's such fun" said one pupil, "the teacher is enjoying French too " said another and "German is so easy to learn, because it's just like learning the French topic" was another comment from this year's cohort.

The scheme focuses upon quality language learning rather than quantity, and ensuring that a policy of inclusion with regard to all abilities and previous experiences of pupils is central to the teaching activities. Some pupils might have visited a French club or have relatives from France or Germany.

Pupils go on a language learning adventure exploring two new languages through lively, creative and primary based activities. They are encouraged to see themselves as "Language Detectives".

The primary non-specialist teachers find the scheme easy to deliver, and enjoy the language discovery journey along with the pupils. The key stage two classroom has proven to be an ideal safe supportive environment in which pupils begin to learn modern foreign languages.

Throughout the year pupils experience key language in the units: Myself, Likes and dislikes, Hobbies, Animals, Food and drink. Non-specialist teachers are supported by a CD-ROM voice box prompt of vocabulary, specialist MFL teachers and native speakers. The units are taught for five weeks in French and then five weeks in German. This has proven to ease the worries of some pupils about learning German as they can already anticipate what they might be expected to understand or say. It has also helped the non-specialist teacher who often has some knowledge of French and therefore is able to grow in confidence delivering the French unit before embarking on German.

Activities encourage all the pupils to explore a wide range of language and learning techniques. Every lesson includes revision of the previous lesson, new language and a creative activity to share either during the lesson or at the beginning of the next lesson. Activities are based around participation be it through games, drama, music, poems, display or design and technology.

Pupils enjoy creating their own characters for their paper puppets "monsieur baguette" and "Herr Hamburger", sharing their fantasy football dream teams, performing their animal raps for each other and the rest of the school and don't forget the perennial favourite of food tasting! Before Christmas 2000 the pupils created some tremendous colour and number German Christmas decorations and earlier in the term the year six class room was decorated with French rocket mobiles celebrating the fact that the pupils had launched themselves into language learning and completed the first French unit.

Is it monsieur baguette or Herr Hamburger?

The scheme is keenly supported by the Head Teacher of Oughtrington Primary School, Sue Cameron:

"The teaching strategies used embrace the best of primary practice and are totally inclusive..."
"Children across all ability ranges confidently participate in lessons and perform an end of year concert in both French and German."
"Our Parents greatly appreciate this added dimension to the statutory primary curriculum"

The Oughtrington School project is about to be expanded to include a modern languages learning programme for pupils in Year five. Letter exchange links with a French primary school are being developed. The contribution of learning French and German has enhanced topic based work about Europe, last year the language display in the foyer was keenly viewed by all the pupils and visitors alike to the school.

Teaching modern foreign languages has extended the education of not only the key stage two pupils but also the younger pupils at Oughtrington School and their parents who thoroughly enjoy the performance based simple language shows by all the year six pupils This year the pupils have really enjoyed the classroom learning support of one of Janet Lloyd's year thirteen pupils. Several of the pupils have said that they would like to learn languages later at senior school and then university - just like Emma the sixth-former !

The scheme has been adopted by Lymm High School (a designated Language College) and is now an integral part of the provision of modern foreign language teaching at key stage two in all its cluster primary schools. This is overseen by the High School's Primary Languages Co-ordinator, Christine Ormond, who recognises that the programme: "interests, delights,, and instructs within the parameters of Primary needs whilst aiming to provide the vital correct springboard into secondary study."

Lymm High School offers support through both specialist MFL teaching and a video conferencing link for the Year 6 pupils with its foreign language assistants, who visit all the cluster primary schools to describe first hand celebrations in their own countries.

INSET for primary teachers delivering the scheme is offered. The scheme has been so successful that INSET is now being offered to other local secondary schools and their cluster primary schools.

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