Byron Wood Primary School
Earldom Road
Sheffield
South Yorkshire

Person in charge of project: Richard Souter

Byron Wood Primary School has 330 pupils between the ages of 3 and 11, a majority of whom are of African-Caribbean, Pakistani, Yemeni or Somali heritage. The school is situated in an area of disadvantage and within an Education Action Zone.

The Languages Initiative project is now in its fourth year and involves a focus on languages and some teaching of French in all parts of the school, and especially in Year 5 and 6. In Year 5 pupils are taught an awareness of many languages and in Year 6 they may choose to learn French, Spanish, German, Somali, Urdu or Arabic. The school has made good use of outside agencies such as the Sheffield Multilingual City Initiative, the University of Sheffield and the French Embassy who assist the school with this project.

Objectives of the project

• To build on the existing linguistic diversity of the school
• The teaching of French to all children from Nursery to Year 6
• A level of competence for the majority of children in speaking and listening to French that will give them confidence in languages learning at secondary
• To develop an awareness of language and languages and cultures amongst staff and pupils

• Byron Wood is believed to be the only school in Sheffield of its type to be teaching a European language to all of its children
• The school draws on the linguistic expertise of native speakers of all the languages taught
• Teachers and personnel from outside agencies work together to plan lessons
• One aim of the project is to develop the use of the target language in different parts of the curriculum

• There is an increased competence in a main European language
• Overseas and British students are given valuable experience in working with disadvantaged British children
• Other local schools are being encouraged to introduce languages into the primary curriculum

• The school's work will be presented at Sheffield's sixth Multilingual City conference in July 1999
• The school is applying for funding for a French Lingua assistant to help staff training and progression
• Where finances and time permit, staff are sent on languages teaching courses
• The school is seeking to develop links with schools in France