Leading primary languages Thursday 14 October 2010

Leading primary languages

Thursday 14 October 2010

The Ofsted perspective(or Who’s in charge?)

Derek Neil

Derek Neil Education 1


Structure• Introduction• Is inspection significant?• Is the subject compulsory or not?• Strengths of primary languages• Areas for development• Intercultural understanding• Conclusion and questions




Strengths

• Progress with implementation• Overall effectiveness is improving• Contribution to pupils’ personal

development• Aspects of attainment and

achievement• Teaching• Aspects of curriculum and leadership


Staffing modelsOrganisation Pros and cons

The subject coordinator and/or other member of staff teach French to all classes

Staff from the partner secondary school teach French to the older pupils

A peripatetic specialist visiting each week teaches French to all classes

Each class teacher takes their own class for French

Each class teacher takes their class for the language in which they feel most confident

A native speaker such as a foreign language assistant teaches some or all of the classes


Areas for development• Sentence level and beyond• Reading and writing• Teachers’ use of the foreign

language• Match to ability• Schemes of work• Assessment• Transition to Key Stage 3• Monitoring and evaluation


Subject-specific grade descriptions

In coming to judgements, inspectors will use the relevant criteria and grade descriptors from the 2009 Section 5 evaluation schedule….These descriptors are set out for each subject and available at: www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/20100015

Alongside them (for achievement, teaching, the curriculum and leadership and management), are supplementary, subject-specific descriptors which provide additional guidance for each of the 15 subjects in the survey programme.

It is important to note that this guidance is intended only to inform the judgements made by specialist inspectors carrying out subject survey visits. It is not for use on Section 5 whole-school inspections.


http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/20100015

Teaching grade

• Teachers have a clear understanding of the value of modern languages which they communicate effectively to pupils. They have a confident level of subject specialist expertise which they use well in planning and teaching languages. As a result, they use an appropriate range of resources and teaching strategies to promote good learning across all aspects of the subject and ensure pupils develop the skills they need to become independent language learners. Teachers have high expectations and pupils willingly participate in activities that require them to use the language to communicate orally and in writing. Teachers routinely use the target language for classroom communication and insist, where appropriate, on pupils responding in the same language. Text is used well to improve pupils’ pronunciation and as a ‘cue’ for speaking and writing. Reading is used to develop intercultural understanding and for pleasure. Imaginative use is made of a breadth of listening materials to develop pupils’ understanding of the spoken word. Assessment is carried out regularly in all four skills.


Achievement grade

• Most pupils are able to work independently when given the opportunity, taking the initiative in their work and when working with others. They demonstrate some originality, imagination or creativity in modern languages work. They enjoy learning languages and can explain the value of doing so. They strive to use the language to communicate orally and in writing. Increasingly they use the language for routine communication with the teacher, amongst themselves and with others in and beyond the classroom. They have a good knowledge and understanding of the culture of the countries and communities where the language is spoken. They can apply grammatical rules to new situations and can write at length with support.


Intercultural understanding• have contact with a native speaker • view a video or other media resource

about the country• compare symbols and products

which represent their own country with those of another country

Objectives drawn from the KS2 Framework


ICU: 4 suggested objectives

• to know that there are similarities and differences between nationalities and cultures

• to know that each country has its own subcultures

• to know that differences are not necessarily bad or good

• to know how to recognise stereotyping







Conclusion• Schools to decide how they wish to

proceed• Successes of the past three years

include pupils’ attitudes to languages, the progress they make in lessons, and the lively and enthusiastic teaching

• The next stages must include a better curriculum, better pupil progress over the long term, and better teachers’ use of the language.


You’re in charge!


Thank you

Derek Neil

Tel: 0191 284 2919Mobile: 07757 086 891

[email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.derekneileducation.co.uk/

Documents

Leading primary languages Thursday 14 October 2010