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Guidance on implementation of the KS2 Framework for languages
The availability of staff to provide and sustain high quality language teaching across key stage 2 is likely to be the first priority for senior managers. Many different people can contribute to the teaching of languages in primary schools, including:
- a primary teacher who has languages expertise working with several classes;
- a primary teacher willing to develop language capability working with their own class;
- a visiting specialist language teacher from a local secondary school or Specialist Language College;
- a secondary trained language specialist employed by a primary school, a cluster of primary schools, or a local authority;
- an advanced skills teacher from a primary or secondary background working with a cluster of primary schools;
- a Foreign Language Assistant working with the class teacher;
- a foreign national without formal teaching qualifications who lives in the school's vicinity (working alongside a class teacher);
- other volunteers (such as parents) who happen to have languages expertise (working alongside a class teacher).
All of these models can work effectively and each brings different qualities to the learning experience. Children can benefit from the expertise of specialist languages teachers and from the language skills and cultural insights brought by native speakers. It is clearly desirable, however, that the primary class teacher is centrally involved in the process of planning and monitoring progress. The class teacher is best placed to mediate the learning for the children, to reinforce it outside the set lessons and will be able to talk to the children themselves, their parents and other adults about the children's experience of language learning and about the progress that they are making.
Class teacher
The class teacher can provide continuity of experience and can take full advantage of the flexibility of the primary curriculum to underpin and extend language learning. Above all the class teacher has a very clear understanding of how primary children learn most successfully and can ensure that their learning builds on their existing knowledge and makes links with other subjects and opportunities. |
Newly Qualified Teacher (NQT)
The value of recruiting an NQT with a language specialism is considerable as such teachers can then act as catalysts in supporting and embedding primary languages within the school. NQTs with a language specialism will need support from experienced generalists and experienced specialist teachers of languages. Schools will benefit considerably if there can be regular contact between the NQT and experienced teachers of languages such as advanced skills teachers and secondary colleagues from Specialist Language Colleges and other schools. |
Visiting specialist
Visiting specialists are able to provide good linguistic role modelling, correct pronunciation and intonation. This is clearly of value to the children but also to the class teachers who can observe as well as participate in lessons. In this way the class teacher can improve in confidence and expertise. The class teacher can then reinforce what has been learned and revisit the language content in other lessons or in daily routines. |
Native speaker
Native speakers can enrich the children's experience by developing knowledge of the cultural context of the language being taught. This can help schools to interpret and integrate the learning objectives for intercultural understanding into other parts of the curriculum. Native speakers of the new languages may be working in schools, as teachers or assistants or may live in the local community. Schools might also recruit a Foreign Language Assistants (FLA). FLAs can play a full part in school life, participating in whole school activities such as assemblies and cultural celebrations. |
Linguistic up-skilling
Primary staff taking on the teaching of languages with their classes will need access to and opportunities for linguistic training. Some suggestions as to how teachers without languages expertise or prior experience might get started are offered in section 3 of this guidance pack, 'Getting started'. In developing a strategy for building capacity in language capability across the school, headteachers and senior managers might like to consider how to use the support available from secondary specialists and native speakers creatively and flexibly in order that both children and teaching staff make the best of this undoubtedly valuable resource. Foreign Language Assistants and other available native speakers, in particular, can be used both as a resource in lessons and a valuable means of improving teacher language competence.
A wide range of courses is available to primary teachers wishing to improve their linguistic competence, run by local authorities, by Higher Education Institutions, and by Cultural Agencies of the main Embassies, as well as by commercial providers. Through CILT, the National Centre for Languages and the British Council opportunities for intensive residential courses abroad are also available. The NACELL website and the Regional Support Groups managed by CILT are helpful sources of information about these opportunities.
Linguistic ability also improves through contact with people in the country where the the language is spoken. Email, videoconferencing and the Internet bring direct electronic access to the language and its speakers to both children and their teachers. Establishing partnerships with schools and other educational institutions abroad can facilitate personal contacts and enable visits and exchanges to take place.
Coaching, modelling and mentoring
Secondary colleagues or primary colleagues with expertise in languages can offer a rich source of support through providing model lessons. These can be followed up by subsequent direct coaching or mentoring. The role of secondary schools in this regard is discussed in more detail in section 5 of this guidance pack Supporting primary entitlement. The aim of such training in most cases is to empower the primary teacher to take over full responsibility for the teaching of the class themselves. In this way, schools can build capacity by enabling a wider number of class teachers to teach languages independently.
Sustainability
Devoting INSET and staff development sessions to languages helps to raise awareness amongst staff and promote forward planning. All schools will need to consider how to develop a strategy to sustain language provision over time. It will be advantageous in the long term to move away from a position where language provision is dependent on a single teacher in the school. It may be helpful for headteachers and governors to review their recruitment strategy and consider including the ability to speak another language as a criterion for future selection.
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