Evaluation of the Key Stage 2 Language Learning Pathfinders

More documents

Recommendations

Info

• While initiatives to introduce children to foreign language learning in KS1 arewelcome, these should not distract schools from building a coherent and progressiveprogramme throughout KS2.• If further funding becomes available, time should be allowed for key appointments tobe made so that developments can take place in a more organised way.• Local authorities should appoint specialist primary language advisors or advisoryteachers to oversee training and co-ordination of resources.• Training courses should be provided at national and local level, not only fordeveloping language skills of primary teachers, but also to support the mentoringskills of secondary outreach teachers.• Local Authorities and schools should consider carefully the terms of employment andworking conditions of permanently resident native speaker assistants. A valid careerpath for such posts should also be established.• The use of PPA in the context of language provision should be carefully monitored.• Primary language teachers should recognise the need to introduce more challengingactivities in the final years of KS2 and should be supported in this with appropriateresources and training courses.3.5.3. IntroductionSustainability, in the context of educational provision, refers to the ability of local authoritiesand schools to maintain the teaching and learning of a subject or keep an activity operating.It was important, therefore, to ask questions at every stage of the research, to allparticipants, about their expectations of maintaining and extending provision. It was alsoessential to identify those factors which favoured maintenance and/or growth potential inorder that other authorities and schools - inside the Pathfinder group and beyond - mighttake advantage of the positive experiences and replicate those conditions relevant to theirown local requirements.One of the key tasks of the Pathfinders was:‘to make significant progress along the continuum in working towards delivering languagelearning throughout key stage 2 by July 2005’.The specific additional funding was to be used to introduce primary languages or to expandexisting provision. Pathfinders were selected on the premise that they were planning to101
develop ‘effective and replicable models of KS2 language provision’. The case-studies ofthe research were similarly chosen to represent a range of these models.As with many forms of publicly funded projects, there was an expectation that themomentum generated by the new activity would be maintained beyond the two year periodof specific funded work, that schools would continue to develop ‘along the continuum’towards the full implementation of national policy. One headteacher demonstrated thissupposition in practice by referring to the fact that the service level agreement with the localauthority, which had been started under the Pathfinder project to provide weekly visits byforeign language assistants,‘was now embedded in the school’s finances and would therefore continue’. (headteacher)Other headteachers, in discussing mechanisms to ensure sustainability, dealt with the issuein a much vaguer, abstract way. Statements such as the following were frequently noted:‘The mechanism of sustainability is the commitment.’ (headteacher)‘...only our enthusiasm and our motivation to make it, to want to make it work...’(headteacher)‘Well, the Pathfinder effectively won’t have any impact on where we go in the future nowbecause we are absolutely committed to two languages in year 6, we’ve got two units ofwork in Year 5 and we’ve got our work for Year 3/4.’ (headteacher)One of the problems for the researchers, encountered very early in the project and arisingthroughout, was, indeed, to identify exactly what the Pathfinder grant was being used for.Even some of those directly responsible for deploying funds at school level sometimes foundit difficult to establish how the Pathfinder funding had made a difference and, moresignificantly, how the work would continue beyond the end of the designated two years. Inpart this related to the difficulty in disentangling different funding sources which may havebeen used with Pathfinder funding to support a new initiative. This made the task ofanalysing costs particularly challenging. Alongside the considerable vagueness expressedabout the financial and other means for continuing primary languages, there was often alsomanifested a sense of optimism, faith even, that things would be sustained and would evencontinue to grow. In the words of one primary class teacher:‘The end of funding will make no difference in this school because the Head is supportive oflanguages and will make sure that it continues.’ (primary teacher)102
Page 1 and 2:
RESEARCHEvaluation of the Key Stage
Page 3 and 4:
Contents1. Executive summary 32. In
Page 5 and 6:
practice and factors that might imp
Page 7 and 8:
of the experience. Individual feedb
Page 9 and 10:
• The analysis revealed the need
Page 11 and 12:
• Are pupils with SEN and gifted
Page 13 and 14:
Both respondent characteristics and
Page 15 and 16:
Interviews were recorded and a 25%
Page 17 and 18:
2.2. Advantages and disadvantages o
Page 19 and 20:
2.2.2. Languages Delivery by the Pr
Page 21 and 22:
2.2.4. Languages Delivery through a
Page 23 and 24:
Analysing these models, conditions
Page 25 and 26:
• Schools should be encouraged to
Page 27 and 28:
however, instances of schools where
Page 29 and 30:
3.1.3.4. Time allocated to language
Page 31 and 32:
‘French would not be taught now a
Page 33 and 34:
• beneficial for the subject’s
Page 35 and 36:
Many teachers remained very depende
Page 37 and 38:
Table 2: Integration and Communicat
Page 39 and 40:
‘We’ve written a letter and dra
Page 41 and 42:
‘it makes you realise that if acc
Page 43 and 44:
Table 5: Languages and Learning - Q
Page 45 and 46:
3.1.5. Pupils - Learning and Attitu
Page 47 and 48:
• useful for travelling abroad -
Page 49 and 50:
• ‘Comments at the end to help
Page 51 and 52: ‘At times they find it difficult
Page 53 and 54: teacher who knew our level.’ In t
Page 55 and 56: In most Pathfinders, however, there
Page 57 and 58: 3.2.2. Recommendations• Primary t
Page 59 and 60: Effective staffing is essential to
Page 61 and 62: Martin and Mitchell 1993). In anoth
Page 63 and 64: Nineteen respondents had specialise
Page 65 and 66: As revealed in questionnaire 1, in
Page 67 and 68: However, some teachers were pleasan
Page 69 and 70: However, there were frequent instan
Page 71 and 72: • team-teaching on the ground•
Page 73 and 74: involved external bodies in the del
Page 75 and 76: Generally, there was a sense that s
Page 77 and 78: • Methods of recording progressio
Page 79 and 80: However, there were challenges in a
Page 81 and 82: In one Pathfinder one school cluste
Page 83 and 84: One example of assessment included
Page 85 and 86: trying to evaluate, prior to each u
Page 87 and 88: Case study: exemplar of a well deve
Page 89 and 90: In some Pathfinder schools effectiv
Page 91 and 92: ‘Only a very small number (6/7) g
Page 93 and 94: • transfer of more sensitive info
Page 95 and 96: ‘…I know the Year 7 teachers we
Page 97 and 98: 3.4.5. Links to KS3 Framework/Natio
Page 99 and 100: situation was especially difficult
Page 101: 3.5. Sustainability and Replicabili
Page 105 and 106: 3.5.4. Leadership and managementThe
Page 107 and 108: on one aspect of delivery. This was
Page 109 and 110: 3.5.5. Staff and staff expertiseIn
Page 111 and 112: ‘Usually it is impromptu: 10 or 1
Page 113 and 114: ‘The reason why I have decided to
Page 115 and 116: c) there is obvious progression fro
Page 117 and 118: to be constrained. Methodologies ge
Page 119 and 120: Time spent on the project was gathe
Page 121 and 122: Estimating development costs of res
Page 123 and 124: There were significant differences
Page 125 and 126: on staff costs, with the impact on
Page 127 and 128: 5. CONCLUSIONSOverall, this evaluat
Page 129 and 130: 5.2. Teacher Competence• Primary
Page 131 and 132: o for training secondary teachers i
Page 133 and 134: ReferencesBell, E with Cox, K. (199
Page 135 and 136: Case Study 2Case study 2 is a compa
Page 137 and 138: channelled through this school. At
Page 139 and 140: Case Study 5This LA is a large auth
Page 141 and 142: Case Study 7Case study 7 is a joint
Page 143: Copies of this publication can be o
show all

Evaluation of the Key Stage 2 Language Learning Pathfinders

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?