20 The Linguist Vol/58 No/6 2019
ciol.org.uk/tl
FEATURES
Teaching languages at primary school can be lonely.
Sue Cave looks at a solution that brings teachers together
T
he Thames Valley Primary MFL
(modern foreign languages) Hub is
one of many groups up and down the
country run by volunteers on behalf of the
Association for Language Learning (ALL).
These hubs provide informal training, support
and networking for anyone involved in the
teaching of languages in primary schools.
They are free to attend and while membership
of ALL is encouraged, it is not a requirement.
There are currently around 40 hubs in
England. Many were created in 2014, when
foreign language teaching became statutory
at state primary schools from age 7 (Year 3).
This coincided with the demise of much of the
subject advisers support that had previously
been freely available through local authorities.
I had been the primary MFL adviser for the
local authority in Wokingham, as well as an
outreach teacher for a language college. In
this capacity, I had offered termly support
and network meetings to teachers in the
borough. With the removal of my role, this
support disappeared. Primary school
teachers, language specialist teachers and
senior management leaders found themselves
adrift, not knowing where they could obtain
advice at this crucial time in the development
of language teaching in primary schools.
Filling the gap
Teaching languages in a primary school can
be a lonely affair, especially if you are the
only specialist in the school. Unlike with other
subjects, there is not always a colleague to
turn to for advice based on their teaching
experience. Often even senior management
leaders have not had any practical experience
of delivering the subject, as MFL is a relative
newcomer to the primary curriculum. The
hubs help to fill this gap. As one teacher put it:
"As a lonely specialist languages teacher in
the primary sector, the ALL hub meetings
have been an essential and excellent form of
CPD [continuous professional development].
I wish that they could run more often."
The Thames Valley Hub meets once a term
for 90 minutes after school in a primary school
in Wokingham. This is a central location in
the Thames Valley and teachers attend
regularly from schools in West Berkshire,
Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire,
Reading, Bracknell, Slough and Maidenhead.
These meetings are very much for teachers
by teachers. It is a friendly group of
professionals who are very willing to share
their experience and expertise, as well as to
Teaching together
©
SHUTTERSTOCK
