Developing effective provision for learning languages
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Information about the school
Langstone Primary School is in the Newport local authority. It provides education for 352 pupils in an affluent area with only 3% efsm. Staff and governors at the school put well-being at the heart of its work, prioritising developing secure working relationships with pupils. Leaders and staff create a positive and inclusive environment in which pupils thrive. The school’s vision is for a highly effective, child-centred learning organisation where all are valued, supported and challenged to achieve their aspirations.
Context and background to the effective or innovative practice
Langstone Primary School is situated in the east of Newport. Very few pupils speak Welsh speaking at home and only 2.4% speak English as a second language. The school aims to develop plurilingual children who celebrate and take pride in their own culture and heritage, while understanding the importance of using their language skills in a diverse and ever evolving world. Leaders and staff recognise the importance of developing pupils as lifelong language learners. This is central to their work on developing pupils as plurilinguists, understanding the relationship between languages. Pupils also begin to use translanguaging skills to access information in one language and respond in a different language. There is a continuous and consistent focus on creating a whole-school approach to promoting language skills, including Welsh, French and BSL.
The school’s Literacy, language and communication (LLC) team comprises three full-time teaching staff who take responsibility for leading and supporting language development, including providing purposeful professional learning, monitoring and evaluating pedagogy and practice and leading the ‘Language Legends’ Pupil Pioneer group, supported by the Headteacher and Deputy headteacher. Staff have benefited from attending the Welsh sabbatical at Cardiff Metropolitan University, improving their knowledge, skills and confidence to support teaching and learning in Welsh across the school.
The school was awarded the Cymraeg Campus Arian Award in September 2022.
Description of nature of strategy or activity
Langstone Primary School’s REAL curriculum (Rich, Experiential, Authentic Learning Experiences) and its project-based learning experiences supports its organic approach to teaching and learning in languages. The school’s approach of ‘little and often’ successfully engages pupils. Teachers recognise the authentic opportunities available to immerse pupils in languages and to enable them to make links in their language learning. Strategies include encouraging pupils to participate in registration in a variety of languages including Welsh, French, and German; using British Sign Language to support basic incidental language i.e. greetings in assembly, saying ‘thank you’; learning songs in Welsh or with BSL elements; and adding French to resources used during lessons. Pupils are encouraged to suggest additions to the repertoire and these strategies ensure they are continually exposed to languages other than English.
The school’s plurilingualism journey began in 2018, when staff used research and enquiry to explore international languages. This initially involved a Discover and Do day, with staff trialling language lessons in a few classes. The school’s early evaluation was that pupils were enjoying their language learning, but the school needed a whole-school consistent approach to embedding linguistic skills. Staff undertook an audit to determine confidence levels, the extent of subject knowledge and the professional learning needed to improve this aspect of the school’s work. Having identified areas of strength, and the language experiences of pupils, staff decided to continue their journey, developing French in the first instance.
Regular LLC staff meetings and staff training opportunities supported the school to focus on achieving high quality teaching and learning in English using a range successful pedagogical techniques and useful resources. More recently, the school has focused its professional development on Welsh language pedagogy, led by an experienced and skilled teacher. Teachers have benefitted from support with planning, teaching approaches, engaging resources, games and activities. As a result, pupils have a renewed enthusiasm for Welsh language learning. They are excited by opportunities to learn languages and to develop as multilingual communicators.
Staff are enthusiastic supporters of the school’s approaches. The LLC team encourage plurilingualism in staff meetings and share resources from the ‘Routes into Languages’ library, maintaining a clear focus on progress in oracy, reading and writing in English.
In September 2022, a nursery pupil with hearing impairment joined the school. This was an opportunity to develop British Sign Language skills for all staff, ensuring a consistent approach to effectively communicating with all members of the school family.
What impact has this work had on provision and learners’ standards?
Staff are committed to promoting languages and as a result, pupils across the school are highly engaged in language learning throughout the school day. Teachers ensure that planning develops pupils’ skills progressively. Younger pupils for example, use simple Welsh and French words, phrases and greetings. Older pupils use increasingly sophisticated vocabulary and phrases in their project learning. Teachers plan effectively for pupils to learn and improve their skills in authentic contexts and incidentally, for example through commands, instructions and learning resources. Recently, during their To Infinity and Beyond project, pupils in Year 5 and 6 enjoyed a visit to the school’s ‘International Space Station’, where they had opportunities for critical thinking, decoding French phrases into English, using QR codes to find BSL signs and subsequently created video presentations for other pupils. These activities enable pupils to use their translanguaging skills to decode phrases at different ability levels. Pupils enjoy applying their knowledge of vocabulary to other aspects of their learning. For example, they create sentences about different planets in Welsh, using familiar stems to begin their sentences. Over time, as pupils notice their own vocabulary and syntax developing, they grow in confidence and enthusiasm.
Pupils’ ideas and suggestions are key at Langstone, and they regularly influence decision-making. The pupil pioneer team changed their name from ‘Criw Cymraeg’ to ‘Language Legends’ to reflect the school’s plurilingual nature. The Language Legends group meets fortnightly with the LLC team and makes contributions to the School Development Plan. They take part in learning walks around the school, lead on ‘Siaradwch, Parlez, Speak’ assemblies to introduce new language patterns and signs, promote language and support ‘Patrwm y mis’ assemblies. The ‘Patrwm y mis’ provides a targeted focus Welsh phrase or question and answer, differentiated for younger pupils, for example Sut wyt ti? / Sut wyt ti’n teimlo? This approach is often linked to BSL, encouraging pupils to become plurilingual.
The school’s continuous focus on providing high-quality professional development ensures that staff improve their skills. This includes time for self-directed study. Staff use online resources and attend evening Welsh and BSL courses to develop their confidence and subject knowledge. The school’s weekly ‘Paned a Sgwrs’ provides an opportunity for staff to meet informally before school to practise their Welsh. This has a positive impact on building staff confidence in using the Welsh language.
Pupils access a range of texts in Welsh and French in classroom ‘Cornel Darllen’ and generally in their learning resources. This includes exposure to languages through feedback and marking. Music lessons provide an ideal opportunity for teachers to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of musical terminology, bringing in elements of Italian vocabulary (forte, piano, staccato, etc) and terms such as allegro and andante, are used across the curriculum, for example in gymnastics and dance teaching and learning.
How have you shared your good practice?
The school has worked effectively to engage parents, using strategies such as the BSL sign of the week, greeting parents in Welsh, French and BSL at the start of the day and showcasing languages events throughout the year. Governors also attend these events.
The resulting research and enquiry projects have been shared across the region and included in the EAS language resources. Key elements of the school’s practice in language development have been included in the Senior Leadership Development Programme. Working with partner schools enabled staff to share experiences to and develop their understanding of progression for all pupils across the cluster.