The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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26 The Linguist FEBRUARY/MARCH www.iol.org.uk FEATURES Eva Oliver talks to teachers and mentors involved in the Languages Support Programme to find out how it works on the ground and how it is making a difference Since 2011, the Languages Education Team at CfBT Education Trust has been supporting more than 300 schools across England to transform the teaching and learning experiences of their pupils. Participating schools all belong to the alliances of new Teaching Schools – outstanding schools that have a leading role to play in training and developing school staff, and in raising standards through school-to-school support. The innovative DfE-funded Languages Support Programme is helping to establish a large number of projects, with key strands including transition to secondary school, spontaneous talk, and grammar and language improvement. As the projects gather pace, we talked to some of the professionals involved about what the programme means to them. The Head: Carolyn Robson 'The programme is all about supporting schools, providing the necessary tools and resources to develop excellence in languages. Back in 2011, the Ofsted report "Achievement and Challenges" put forward a number of recommendations for improvement. These focused mainly around transition between KS2 and KS3, increasing the linguistic competence and confidence of primary teachers, and enhancing pupils' use of grammar and syntax, especially regarding spontaneous talk. The Languages Support Programme is providing the necessary tools and resources for schools to develop their own excellence in languages teaching and learning. It really feels like this time the schools are firmly in the driving seat. The [Languages Development] Group is made up of headteachers and senior staff from a number of Lead Teaching Schools for Languages and Research, Equality and Those who can… support them but it is important not to take over. I try and do what I call the "donkey work" – all the research, printing out ideas, etc. It really helps to get them started if you provide teachers with this extra support. There really is no typical week in my job. Each week, I visit at least two schools. It's very important to keep that face-to-face support going. I also have a phone catch-up with Kati, the CfBT Languages Education Adviser I support, so that I can update her on progress and any issues as they come up. I deliver presentations about the programme and work to get agreement on any development plans as they are produced. These map the journey ahead – ie, the projects the school will be involved with. I also take part in training meetings to launch certain projects, which is a very good way to ensure that all schools involved in the TSA [Teaching School Alliance] are aware of what is taking place and why they are taking part in it. Sometimes this can be a challenge, especially if they are geographically dispersed. I also meet with teachers involved in the project to catch up on how the project is working for them at their school, answer any questions they may have and offer additional support. The projects at schools can vary hugely. For example, one of the schools I support is running a project on using film as a medium to help students learn more about grammatical structures in the target language. Another very important strand for us is transition – even more so with the announcement that languages will become compulsory at KS2 from September 2014. This has resulted in secondary schools developing a growing awareness that they Diversity, plus representatives from CfBT and the DfE. The group meets once a term and provides vital input and direction for the programme. It is hugely gratifying to see the impact the programme is having on teachers and pupils – and this is just the beginning. Last November we held the Leading in Languages conference, which was all about empowering headteachers and senior staff to embrace the challenges and opportunities of leading in languages post-March 2013.' Carolyn Robson, Headteacher at Rushey Mead School in Leicestershire, co-chairs the Languages Development Group alongside Headteacher Liz Quinn. The Mentor: Bridget Smith 'This has been a fantastic opportunity to work with schools at both a local and national level. I found that being flexible helps me work better with the schools. You really need to recognise that they, too, are working to a tight timeline, so you can help them by being proactive and identifying areas where you can STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE Pupils at Rushey Mead, one of the new Teaching Schools sharing their expertise