Surrey LEA

Continuity and progression in a cross-phase cluster

A group of Surrey primary school teachers of French were delighted when the LEA became part of the Good Practice Project. They represented a 'cluster', albeit fairly widely separated, of Roman Catholic primary schools, keen to develop links with the denominational secondary school to which most of their pupils transfer at age 11. The schools involved are St. Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary, St. Dunstan's Catholic Primary, St. Augustine's Catholic Primary and The Marist Catholic Primary.

The secondary school, St. John the Baptist Catholic Comprehensive in Woking, became a languages college in 1997, and was already offering support to its family of schools, particularly in making available its ICT facilities for primary pupils to use to take their first steps in reading and writing simple French. The Good Practice Project gave the schools the opportunity to continue and extend their work with the support of the County Consultant for MFL. The particular focus, given the already close relationship between the schools, is progression and continuity between Key Stages 2 and 3.

With the support of Sue Short, an MFL specialist at St. John the Baptist, colleagues were brought together first for a day's INSET. They explored further the possibilities for groups of visiting primary school pupils to use ICT at the school and the teachers had the chance to gain confidence in their use of the Internet. They addressed the whole issue of the introduction of reading and writing in the foreign language, and shared techniques for doing so in a structured, supported way. Finally, because they had had few opportunities to view more recently produced resources, they spent time examining some and making decisions about spending their year's allowance.

It became very evident during the day how insecure French was at some of the primary schools. There was no lack of will to support French in the curriculum. This was an issue of recruitment and retention. Who would still be in post next term to deliver the Year 5 programme? Will the NQT in Year 4 know any French? What will be the curriculum priorities of the new headteacher? In a county where the cost of living is high, recruitment is a problem in all subjects and phases, but it is a very acute one in MFL.

An important decision was taken. To help cross-phase continuity it was agreed that the County Consultant would draft a notional 'common' scheme of work for the primary schools. The curriculum in each primary school allowed different amounts of time for French, and in different years. However, it was agreed that the scheme of work should be designed to be deliverable as a minimum in the least amount of time available in any of the schools. Those schools with more generous curriculum time would be able to access an extension 'layer' which built on the basic minimum. The County Consultant came back to the group in March with the 'content' and 'duration' boxes filled in. The draft was seen as manageable and appropriate! Much of this second INSET day was then spent in sharing ideas for classroom activities, games, songs and cross-curricular ideas to deliver the content.

The next step was crucial. It would be pointless having this common scheme of work if account was not taken of it by the secondary school. The next major meeting that took place was therefore between the County Consultant and representatives of the MFL department of the secondary school. Awareness of the scheme of work was the first step to them reviewing their school's Year 7 scheme. Work on this has progressed, and St. John the Baptist will implement the revised version in September 2001. Meanwhile, when St. John the Baptist MFL teachers visit a primary school French classroom, they will now do so not just as interested observers, but with a clear focus as to how their expertise can contribute to the strengthening of good practice.

The primary school teachers were keen to develop their methodology further. In September they met again with the County Consultant to learn more ways of developing pupils' listening and speaking skills, to see what ideas were to be picked from the newly published QCA non-statutory schemes of work, to consider how they would like to adapt the European Languages Portfolio as a transfer document, and to reflect how they might make use of a link school abroad to support their languages teaching.

The day had begun with classroom observation of a Year 8 languages lesson in the secondary school. The primary school teachers felt very privileged to see very skillful teaching. No less exciting was the opportunity actually to make materials to support pupils' speaking, using OHP overlays, for example, to stimulate role-play or creating info-gap cue cards for pair-work. No wonder there was a request for more such opportunities as Christmas approached! Year 9 was the focus for observation then, and there was reflection and discussion to follow. Sue Short provided a menu of activities for 'Noël'. Perhaps the most encouraging discovery was that the primary schools were already finding the scheme of work 'really good', even 'fantastic'!

What can it be said that the opportunities provided by the project have achieved? There has certainly been professional development for the teachers. They now have a wider repertoire of classroom strategies. Perhaps even more importantly, they see themselves with greater self-esteem not as 'add-on' extras to the 'important' part of the curriculum, but (modestly) experts doing vital work in developing pupils' language skills, literacy and international awareness.

The 'common' scheme of work will be an asset on which to build. There has been sufficient professional will generated that there is an excellent chance pupils will not be allowed to mark time in Year 7. The publication of the QCA scheme of work does not in any way negate the 'home-grown' one. It would be a challenge to adapt the latter to the 20 minutes per week that one school currently allows for French!

It has to be recognised that the schools involved in the project are in a privileged position, however. The secondary school is a language college, and has a committed, sensitive and skilled member of staff with time dedicated to promoting collaboration in MFL with the feeder schools. The project funding has enhanced INSET opportunities. Nonetheless, the project activities have shown what such an investment can achieve. It remains to be seen how important it is considered to be to make such training, support and time for cross-phase collaboration an entitlement for MFL teachers in the primary school.

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