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Fishponds Primary Academy teaching and learning in languages project.
Start date: Jun 1, 2015, End date: May 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

We want to take a whole school approach to the teaching of languages and to embed Spanish and French language and culture into our daily routines and our day-to-day school life. We need to develop staff competence in French and Spanish, develop our staff’s knowledge of Primary Languages pedagogy, find appropriate resources and find innovative ways to use ICT applications to support the teaching of languages. Our staff would also greatly benefit from having the chance to get to know another culture. We would like to begin to hold more cultural events in our school including Spanish and French days and events to mark special celebrations involving parents and other members of the local community in the life of our school. We need to improve our language teaching provision in order to increase pupil attainment within languages, and within other curriculum areas, particularly literacy, and particularly focus on improving the attainment of our pupils with special educational needs. We also need to introduce language learning into Key Stage I and EYFS. We want to make strong links with primary schools in France and Spain in order to give pupils an immediate purpose for language learning and to broaden their knowledge and understanding of European cultures. We would like to have opportunities to work together on joint activities and to continue to develop the link further through future activities such as return visits by French and Spanish staff and, possibly in the future, pupil exchange visits. We intend to develop our links with our local secondary school in order to improve transition into Key stage 3, observing practice in other schools and having the chance to engage in professional discussions on this topic. We would like to develop networks of teachers from the UK, France and Spain who can work together to share good practice. We have identified immersion courses in Spain and France that we believe will meet our school’s needs involving language learning, cultural activities, teaching methodology, discussion of issues relating to the introduction of languages in primary schools and the chance to spend time in a link primary school in Spain and France. We would like to send nine members of staff on these courses over a two-year project. We would send five members of staff to Spain and four to France. These nine members of staff would then work together to plan a programme of dissemination for the rest of the staff, establishing our “whole school” approach to language learning. The courses attended will result in the development of strong links with primary schools in France and Spain. We will establish regular opportunities for our pupils to talk to each other through Skype and eTwinning. This will lead to greater motivation and a deeper understanding of each other’s cultures and will support us in our plans for potential pupil exchanges. The impact on the members of staff taking part in the visits to Spain and France will include an increase in their ability to use the Spanish or French language, a greater understanding of the culture, meaning that they are able to make their teaching more interesting and relevant to their pupils, more teaching ideas and better understanding of how children learn languages and the ongoing support of the professional network they will have developed during the course. This will help them in their teaching of languages and will also impact on their teaching across other aspects of the curriculum. This impact will be cascaded to other members of staff by means of the planned dissemination and training activities that will take place as part of this project and pupils will greatly benefit from the renewed enthusiasm of their teachers and from the links made with the French and Spanish school. The improved teaching resulting from participation in these courses will also have a positive impact on our pupils. The introduction of languages into Key stage I and EYFS will also have a positive impact on our pupils and there will be a positive impact on other curriculum areas such as ICT, literacy and global citizenship. We will develop a programme of cultural and extracurricular events which will involve all of our school community, parents and members of the local community too. This will lead to closer links with the school, more support and positive attitudes. We intend that there will also be an impact on other schools in our federation as we will share materials and information through our local cluster meetings. Everybody involved in this project will feel a positive impact as they will have access to a fresh ideas and sources of support.

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