Evaluation of the Key Stage 2 Language Learning Pathfinders

However, there were challenges in achieving progression in some instances. For example,in one school children in different years (Reception, Year 4 and Year 5) were receiving thesame content – basic personal information plus colours, numbers, pets etc, but there was nooverall strategy for progression from year to year. The problem was that the staff expertisewas scattered and staff moved around between different year groups from time to time andmost of the class teachers had limited skills and were only just about capable of dealing withthese basics. This concern was reiterated by a headteacher from another Pathfinder:‘When you get up to the juniors, there has to be progression. That has always been myconcern, that there is no real help for progression across the primary school and if you’re notcareful, you’re going to be teaching the same basic things at Year 6 that you’re teaching inReception, because the staff themselves are not able to move on.’ (headteacher)Significantly, as it is a feature which may not become too apparent in a two Year Pathfinder,progression from Year 3 through Year 4 and through Year 5 to Year 6 was perceived by oneheadteacher as beginning to become more challenging.‘One of the things the Pathfinder has made the school aware of, is that at the top end of theschool, the French has not been challenging enough. The same sort of effect as when theICT began to filter through’. (headteacher)As reported in the section on schemes of work, there were particular challenges for schoolswhere classes were arranged in vertical groupings, with combined year groups. Futureplanning for these mixed age group classes will be crucial to ensure pupils’ progression inprimary languages is maintained without content repetition.Progression from the pupils’ point of view included children in one Pathfinder referring towhat they saw as increasing difficulty in the content of lessons.‘Last year it was all answering questions about how old you were and your brothers andsisters but now it is harder and we have to talk about a lot of different things.’ (pupil)They noted greater emphasis on writing with the introduction of worksheets.It was interesting to note the comments of pupils who had recently been to Germany. Theyrecognised, among other things, thata) German pupils seemed to know a lot more English than they knew German;78