Broughton High School is committed to developing an international mindset and ensuring that pupils are prepared for employment opportunities in globally competitive markets. It has been described as ‘possibly the most comprehensive school in Western Europe’. It is attended by pupils from from some of the poorest areas in Edinburgh (over 15% of our pupils are in receipt of free school meals), alongside pupils from affluent areas. The school incorporates three specialist performance schools for music, dance and football. The young people at Broughton take pride in the multicultural and inclusive nature of the school. Opportunities to engender social cohesion and to raise aspirations amongst those less privileged are embraced by the staff and the parental community. Recently, applications from European and Roma families have increased. Out of a total of 1032 pupils, 270 speak a language other than English. Of these 54 languages, 12 are European Union languages. This provides a rich cultural component to the school dynamic, along with many challenges. BHS believes that investing in language learning at school is a key method of providing young people with the best possible future. Our aim is to support bilingualism throughout the school community by communicating the many employment opportunities and life-style benefits of modern language acquisition. In addition, we are keen to provide support to the increasing numbers of new admissions from European countries. EU policy is to introduce foreign language study from an early age. This is reflected in the Scottish Government 1+2 initiative which will create increasing numbers of language learners moving from Primary to Secondary school. BHS is committed to providing a rich experience to learners in a diverse range of languages. In particular we aim to equip staff so that we can offer a wider choice of languages for study. In a multi-lingual school like ours, it is important to provide a supportive environment for bilingual pupils where skills with language are valued and appreciated. Participation in Erasmus + will provide us with opportunities to develop the European dimension in school and demonstrate that bilingualism is something to aspire to. The structured language learning courses we have identified will give us access to new ideas, access to authentic, up-to-date classroom resources, and opportunities to share successful teaching methods with European colleagues. Our objectives are: To prepare teachers to play a significant part in delivering the Scottish Government 1+2 initiative to introduce mother tongue plus two additional languages to all pupils by improving fluency in the target language, and by accessing new skills, ideas, resources and teaching methods To become part of the Erasmus community in order to forge constructive networks with language teachers and learners To encourage language learning at all levels by communicating to staff and pupils the manifold benefits of being able to speak more than one language To provide staff with the language skills necessary to lead successful educational visits to European countries To provide support to increasing numbers of new admissions from EU countries by developing competence in language skills throughout the school, including administrative and support staff The Curriculum Leader of Modern Languages has identified seven staff to participate in the activities. Two are language teachers who aim to update and improve their skills in their third language, two are school support assistants who support learners in language classes, two are science teachers who teach EAL pupils and provide social support through the provision of lunchtime and after school activities such as the Italian club, and one is the office manager who is the first port of call for new admissions. In order to achieve the above objectives, staff will participate in full-immersion modern language Professional Development Courses in France, Spain and Italy during the school holidays. Potential longer term benefits will be an increased understanding of the benefits of bilingualism and the preparation of learners to play a full part in the global economy. We believe that participation in the Erasmus+ programme over a 24 month period will be a key component of the essential professional development of staff which will equip the school to become part of a movement that will lead to multilingualism becoming the new norm in Scotland.