Free schools


of the more desired schools, and concern over the decline in emphasis on foreign language skills in the current curriculum. According to the schools, if a parent is concerned that their child does not have enough proficiency in the second language, or if the child finds lessons in the second language difficult, they will be supported by additional coaching. The merits of encouraging a child to learn a foreign language from an


early age are well documented. However, in most cases there is a lack of the cultural aspect of learning a language, and free bilingual schools aim to address this gap by surrounding the children with cultural references to the language in all aspects of their school life, not just during lessons. According to Peter Johnson from the Deutche Bilingual Primary


School: “It’s not just about language skills, but about cultural understanding too. That’s what really motivates our project – the idea


“Supporters of free bilingual schools say that young children can learn


languages more easily than adults and that immersing them early in a second


language gives them the opportunity to become multilingual”


that languages live in a cultural context that also must be explored to develop more rounded, understanding, self-aware people. So language is useful, while cultural understanding is essential.” However, critics of the free schools scheme suggest that government


money would be better spent on investing in foreign language provision at existing primary schools. While funding was allocated for local authorities to support


languages until March 2011, some experts argue that not enough is being done to ensure that primary children get a good grounding in a foreign language that will see them through the secondary school years to university and, perhaps, study or work abroad. Many primary schools do try to offer incentives to their pupils in foreign languages through including cultural awareness activities, signage and labelling objects in a foreign language, and through songs. For example, the Dog Kennel Hill Primary School in Dulwich,


London, has implemented an international school policy, which includes developing links with other schools in Europe and abroad to encourage first-hand experiences of life in another country. As part of this scheme, pupils exchange letters and emails with friends abroad.


Lessons from abroad


The British Council, on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education, is recruiting teachers to teach the English component of an integrated Spanish/English curriculum to three to 16-year-old children in Spanish state schools (both primary and secondary). In schools participating in the scheme, children spend up to 40 per cent of their school timetable studying in English.


Since the project began in 1996, over 250 British teachers have been engaged by the Spanish government to teach in schools. The first group of children to participate in the scheme are now aged 15 and 16. The British Council has said that this scheme results in highly motivated students able to switch comfortably between the languages and use them to accomplish real tasks and learn real content. The project is highly visible and of positive interest to thousands of pupils, parents and educators, and encourages the active engagement of policymakers.


The success of this project in Spain has led to a growing interest globally and, according to the British Council, more and more countries are looking to form partnerships with them to take this project forward. However, no reciprocal scheme is currently available within England.


May – July 2011


However, while schemes such as these are recognised by the British Council through the International Schools Award, there is no formal recognition from the DfE, and from March 2011 no further budget has been made available to primary schools for such projects, therefore it will be up to each individual school to fund or to find the resources to encourage such schemes. In 2005, the first bilingual state school opened in Battersea,


London,with lessons in French and English. In this case, pupils joining the bilingual class follow the national curriculum but study all subjects in both languages throughout the primary school. However, despite the success of this scheme, there has been a significant lack of copy-cat cases and so far only one other London borough has tried anything similar. Last November, Hammersmith and Fulham announced that pupils aged four to 11 from both Holy Cross Catholic School and L’Ecole Marie d’Orliac will be taught together by teachers from each of the schools, using an agreed common curriculum. Sarah Gore, cabinet member for children’s cervices at Hammersmith and Fulham council, said: “We not only need to provide more places for our growing primary school population but also want to offer parents a meaningful choice. We anticipate that this option will prove popular with many parents.” Supporters of free bilingual schools say that young children can learn


languages more easily than adults and that immersing them early in a second language gives them the opportunity to become multilingual. They also believe it will improve the children’s future opportunities. Sylvie Aderibigbe, a French teacher living in Southwark, has said that


there were quite a few French people living in the area but they were only offered fee-paying French schools. She expressed a fear that British children were at present not taught to work hard, have values and respect their school. “Being bilingual opens a child’s mind to the outside world”, claimed Ms Aderibigbe. The British Council has said that in recent years countries across


Europe have seen an increase in bilingual education as a way of preparing young people for future work, study and life in an increasingly multicultural and integrated Europe. We certainly do not want to be left behind.


Calling all football clubs, groups and schools – let’s get active!


Kick is CLIC Sargent’s national football event where children of all ages and abilities raise funds to help children and young people with cancer.


• Your school or club can choose to keep 25% of the money you raise (75% to children with cancer)


Sign up now: www.clicsargent.org.uk/kick Or call 08451 20 22 32


Registered charity number 1107328 and registered in Scotland (SC039857)


25


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40