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MFL in Society Schools. E dCom January 2014. Methodology. Survey completed Autumn Term 2013 87 UK schools completed the questionnaire 58% Head of MFL 23% Deputy/Director of Studies 14% Head. MFL in Society Schools. Key Stage 3. Compulsory Languages at Key Stage 3 (%).
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MFL in Society Schools EdCom January 2014
Methodology • Survey completed Autumn Term 2013 • 87 UK schools completed the questionnaire • 58% Head of MFL • 23% Deputy/Director of Studies • 14% Head
MFL in Society Schools Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 – SEND/EAL • Occasionally there are students with additional English requirements and some students do not do both French AND German. • Pupils with special needs may be withdrawn from language lessons. Also native speakers would not normally attend the language lesson in their mother tongue. • Pupils are withdrawn to Learning Support or EAL if deemed appropriate.
Key Stage 3 – language choice No (specific) languages are compulsory in Year 7 - pupils select Mandarin or Spanish. In addition we run our own Global Communications course (EU Language Label Award 2013). In Year 8 pupils continue with either Mandarin or Spanish (still have one set of German) and French is compulsory. This continues into Year 9.
MFL in Society Schools Key Stage 4/GCSE
Key Stage 4 The study of at least one modern language is compulsory for GCSE. However students with significant learning difficulties, such as severe dyslexia, may do learning support lessons instead of a modern language. The percentage of students not doing a modern language is very low.
Key Stage 4 Yes it is compulsory for a pupil to study one foreign language to GCSE. In exceptional cases SEN pupils may be dis-applied and will have specialist SEN support at this time. Similarly with EAL pupils who will have individual EAL support at this time.
English children are not necessarily motivated to learn a MFL so it is hard work," he said. "A GCSE in French or German is considered to be difficult, but we still feel it is important so we have invested more in staffing, so we can have more than one teacher in key groups, and we also have at least three foreign language assistants every year who can link in well with youngsters and get them interested in language and culture. Paul Dick, Kennet School (quoted in the Guardian, 4/10/13 )
...full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996(a)), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education. The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010
SEND exceptions Dyslexia specialists generally agree that dyslexic children should be given an opportunity to learn a foreign language. It is likely that many dyslexic children will enjoy an active learning opportunity which focuses on multisensory language learning and involves a lot of role play, games, singing and other group activities. While it is acknowledged that some dyslexic children are only likely to achieve limited competence in a foreign language, it is important to acknowledge that the opportunity to participate in communicative activities brings additional benefits such as enhanced social development. The language classroom will inevitably broaden students’ horizons as their awareness of other cultures and communities develops.
Proportion of pupils taking more than one GCSE modern language where GCSE MFL is compulsory (%)
Pupils with a first language other than English The overwhelming majority of schools encourage their students to sit first language GCSEs Bengali, Chinese, Panjabi, Urdu, Polish, Hebrew, Greek, Japanese, Russian, Arabic , Hindi available.
First language GCSEs It happens, but encourage is probably too strong a word
MFL in Society Schools The 6th form/AS & A2
Proportion of Year 12 year group studying a language at AS level
The 6th Form Maintaining any interest at all in MFL beyond GCSE will be a major achievement. Our MFL teachers are incredibly committed and deliver high quality lessons but there is little interest in what are perceived as difficult A-Levels of less value than other qualifications such as Maths, Sciences, Geography, History
The 6th Form (We have a problem)...students opting out of A level languages because they are perceived as too hard, or at least, impossible to achieve A*, or A.
We do not plan to recalibrate A level performance standards as new A levels are introduced. However, there are two features of performance standards at present that we plan to address. First, relatively few A* grades are awarded in modern foreign languages when compared with other subjects with a high proportion of A grades. Secondly, there are variations in the proportion of A* to A grades awarded at A level each year in subjects. We plan to evaluate both of these features and to make improvements so that standards are as comparable and consistent as possible. Ofqual Corporate Plan 2013-15 P16)
Staff Recruitment Very few schools encourage staff recruitment from the “home” language country (eg France, Spain). The majority listing a British degree/QTS as more important than a “native” speaker with a Spanish degree and teaching qualifications.
Using MFL in school marketing We always make sure that language events are publicised in the school news part of the website and local press if we can. We offer several language based visits abroad each year including exchanges and we always publicise these. We have a day set aside this term for the 'European Day' of languages when we celebrate the language diversity in the school. There are currently 17 languages spoken by staff and pupils. We try to market that we have excellent provision for languages as compared to the local state provision.
Using MFL in school marketing Yes, we have trips abroad, Languages days, teaching French from the preps, all this contributes to the marketing of the school.
Using MFL in school marketing The Governors would like to introduce Mandarin and market the School through it. I am reluctant until I can find a quality teacher and am reluctant to introduce it into the main curriculum as it will undoubtedly squeeze the other languages and may well lead to the need for redundancies amongst some of my most able and dedicated staff!
Issues I feel as a generalisation that Language acquisition is not a high priority with in the population of this part of (the UK). We have had to work very hard to raise its profile within the school over the years. The local 6th form college stopped teaching Spanish A level from this September due to lack of interest and we of course are trying to capitalise on this. We rescued the local comprehensive school who had no German teacher and taught the final German year 11 class for all of last year with excellent results.
Issues Loss of sixth form students to local sixth from colleges. Large number of overseas boarders in the sixth form. Chinese boarders very rarely attempt a language, other than EAL, but German boarders have actually propped up sixth form language teaching as they are more likely to choose languages.
Issues We are interested in matching the MFL provision of schools around us, i.e. our local comprehensive school offers 3 languages successfully and we have introduced Spanish into year 9 two years ago because our feeder prep schools often offer Spanish alongside French.
Summary – Key Stage 3 • At Key Stage 3 many schools have more than one language on the curriculum, but these are always traditional, modern and European. Mandarin, Russian etc have no significant place here. • The flexibility of Society schools towards their SEND/EAL pupils is perhaps not surprising and is clearly a great strength.
Summary • MFL is a core part of the Key Stage 3 Curriculum across Society schools • At GCSE half of Society schools have a language in their core curriculum at GCSE, most encourage the take up • The languages on offer at GCSE (all bar one: French, then Spanish) are all European • AS Level MFL is perceived by Year 11 pupils as hard, and not rated as highly as the traditional hard core of subjects at A level. • Take up at AS and A2 is low across Society Schools
