Evaluation of the Key Stage 2 Language Learning Pathfinders

them taking over from the outreach teacher. Nonetheless, in the second year of thePathfinder, the teacher observation model was in some cases bearing fruit and the classteacher was taking on the responsibility.In an outreach model, the need was clearly felt for class teachers to sustain languages in theperiod between outreach teachers’ visits. In some Pathfinders, language learning was notalways taking place between outreach visits due to other pressures. Problems could beintensified, if, as is typical, the outreach teacher had no time to spend in the school outsideof the actual lesson.‘I’ve had little influence on what [the outreach teacher] actually delivers, a – because of myslight lack of knowledge and b – because she’s popped in and gone on to the next one, sowe’ve had little time to liaise really.’ (languages teacher)Thus the level of primary class teacher follow up varied. Some schools seemed to fall backon a reliance on the outreach lessons. This was even the case in supportive schools. Thissituation had generally improved in the second year of the Pathfinder.‘Usually it is impromptu: 10 or 15 minutes of French at the end of lessons, but the timetableis very busy and it is sometimes less.’ (languages teacher)Identifying key link staff in primary schools who can champion the work in their school andperhaps take on a language as well was perceived by outreach teachers to be beneficial.In one Pathfinder, Foreign Language Assistants were delivering languages, alongside a fewASTs and some outreach SLC teachers, with a large number of class teachers providing‘follow-on’ lessons. These FLAs received an intensive programme of training and were thennurtured by local authority advisors. Elsewhere, native speaker FLAs as well as teachertrainees from France and Spain were used to support primary class teachers to deliverlanguages. All these teachers were supported in this Pathfinder by primary languagesconsultants. However, native speakers were less successful in those Pathfinders wherethey were not adequately trained and the quality of the languages input was therefore moread hoc and less reliable.In these models involving native speakers, from whatever source, the importance ofsubstantial and ongoing support cannot be emphasised enough (Martin and Farren 2004,59