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LIVING LANGUAGES FOR HASLINGFIELD
Start date: Jun 1, 2015, End date: May 31, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

This will be a two-year project within which we would like six members of staff to take part in training courses in Spain. These members of staff will include teachers, TAs and HLTAs from both KS1 and KS2. Through this project, we intend to make a fundamental change to the way we approach language teaching in our school. We believe that children learn better if they are taught Spanish by their own teachers and it is embedded into other curriculum areas and into daily routines and school life. We will move away from reliance on an external Spanish teacher, and will use the opportunity of this project to build the skills of our staff so that they are confident to take on the teaching role themselves. We will introduce languages into KS1 and Early Years. Our head teacher is our local cluster MFL leader. We would like Hasingfield to be a flagship school for teaching Spanish at primary level and need to ensure that our provision is outstanding. As languages are now a statutory requirement in KS2, it is also important for our school to strengthen the professional profile and future career prospects of our staff by allowing them to develop their skills, increasing their language competence and cultural knowledge. We also intend to introduce extra curricular provision of languages aimed at the wider community, including parents, and organise fun, cultural, Spanish events both within the school and in the wider community. We need to give our pupils more language learning opportunities and an understanding of the importance and relevance of languages through developing cross curricular links and increasing the European dimension throughout school and link languages to literacy. We also need to look for new and innovative ways to use ICT within our language teaching. Most of our children have very little exposure to any form of foreign language. It is essential for our school to develop a link with the Spanish school and therefore develop a greater understanding of Spanish culture. We would like members of our staff to have the chance to spend time in the Spanish school, get to know Spanish colleagues, understand the school system and have the chance to observe practice. This would allow them to assimilate new ideas and strategies for teaching and to develop friendships which will lead to more successful implementation of joint projects. We have identified immersion courses in Spain which involve a focus on intensive language learning, cultural development, language teaching methodology, innovative teaching ideas and the opportunity to engage in discussions relating to language learning in primary school. The courses also involve spending time in a Spanish primary school, working alongside staff, sharing ideas and good practice and building links for the future. By taking part in these courses, participants will greatly increase their skills and confidence to teach language in their own class. They will also be confident to support other colleagues within our school and integrate Spanish learning into our curriculum and into our daily routines. This will make language teaching more sustainable in our school and more effective as pupils will have it reinforced through the week. It will give language learning a greater status and show that it is valued. Participants will have time in Spain to be able to gather a bank of effective and authentic resources to engage all pupils and will be able to observe practice in the Spanish school. We will use ideas from the course to increase the use of ICT within our language teaching. By having regular contact with Spanish pupils, they will understand much more about the lives of people in other countries and will see that there are many similarities with their own lives. Joint projects through eTwinning will be highly motivating for our pupils. They will increase their communication skills and have an audience and purpose for their work. This will help to raise their global awareness and future aspirations. The resulting changes in other language teaching provision will mean that our school can deliver outstanding language teaching and become a flagship school within our area. Delivered by enthusiastic, confident staff, this exciting project will prepare us for discovering a higher level of cultural awareness. Our curriculum will be given a new boost of motivation, implemented by participants impacting on all areas of pupils’ development.
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