"Primary foreign languages: longitudinal survey of
implementation of national entitlement to language learning at Key
Stage 2."
06/07/2009
Organisation/author
The
National Foundation for Educational Research, commissioned by DCSF
(DCSF-RB127, RR127)
Timescale
2006-09
Research
aim
A three-year longitudinal study
of language learning at Key Stage 2 (KS2) to
assess:
- The nature and extent of language learning
provision at KS2 in schools in England, and
- The progress towards implementation of the
non-statutory target set in the National Languages Strategy that
all children should have an entitlement to language learning in
class time in KS2 by 2010.
Research design
- Local Authority
surveys
In the autumn term of 2006, 2007 and 2008,
all local authorities (LAs) in England were sent a questionnaire
which asked them about the progress of schools in their area in
teaching languages at Key Stage 2, and about the support they were
providing for schools to help them reach the full entitlement. The
response rate was 70%, 72% and 74% respectively.
- School surveys
A sample
of schools was drawn in 2006 and the first questionnaire was sent
to 7,899 schools in October 2006 (a response rate of 48%). In
subsequent years, the questionnaires were sent to the schools that
had responded in 2006 (4,047 schools in 2007, with a response rate
of 60%, and 3,535 in 2008, 67% response rate).
- The target group
To
address the possible resulting bias, a representative sub-sample of
500 schools was selected and data was collected from all the
schools in this target group, for all three years of the
survey.
As the target sample provided a national estimate of the proportion
of schools teaching languages in class time, this was used to
weight the responses to relevant questions throughout the study,
thus providing a more accurate indication of the proportion of
schools providing languages at KS2 nationally.
Outputs
The
following pdf's can be downloaded from DCSF website:
Completed
Yes
Key findings
Progress in provision of primary
languages
- In 2008, 92% of schools were providing
primary languages within class time. This has risen from 85%
indicated in the 2007 survey findings and 70% in the 2006
survey.
- Free school meals, performance at KS2 and EAL
were shown to have an impact on KS2 language provision while SEN
wasn’t.
- French remained the most popular language
(offered by 89% of schools in 2008), followed by Spanish and German
(25% and 10% respectively), while a small number of schools (three
per cent or under) offered Italian, Chinese, Japanese and
Urdu.
- Respondents’ views on the main challenges to
current provision included finding time to deliver languages within
an overcrowded curriculum, lack of staff knowledge or expertise and
budget restraints.
Delivery, support and
resources
- Methods of language provision and teaching
time changed little over the three-year survey period. The most
common pattern is one lesson of around 40 minutes per week.
- The KS2 Framework for Languages provided the
basis of most schools’ language programmes. The use of
commercially, locally and school-produced schemes of work
increased.
- Staff number teaching languages and the level
of qualifications held by teaching staff varied between schools in
the 2008 survey.
- Language teaching staff usually received
training on language pedagogy or proficiency.
- Provision and uptake of training had
increased between 2006 and 2008 and more than two-thirds of schools
reported in 2008 that they had received free primary languages
training.
- The areas where schools still support
included staff training and assistance with linking with schools
abroad.
Assessment and
transition
- In 2008, almost half of the
schools reported monitoring and assessing progress in language
learning compared to 20% in 2006.
- The assessment tools used
most frequently by schools were the Languages Ladder, the European
Language Portfolio, school-produced materials and the KS2 Framework
for Languages.
- Transition in languages
from KS2 to KS3 was still perceived by staff as an area of concern,
as was the language progression.
Meeting the
entitlement and preparation for the future
- 69% of schools were providing languages for
all year groups in 2008, compared to 54% in 2007 and 34% in
2006.
- The proportion of schools not teaching
languages in class time had declined considerably, from 29% in 2006
to 8% in 2008.
- Of the schools that said they were not
providing the entitlement in 2006, more than half were providing
the entitlement in 2008 (37% fully and 17% partially).
- It was estimated that a maximum of 18% of all
schools either felt that they would not, or were unsure of whether
they would provide the full entitlement by 2010.
- The majority of schools teaching languages
felt that they would be ready to meet the requirement for statutory
language teaching in KS2 by 2011.
- It was estimated that there could be around a
quarter of all schools that felt that they would not, or are unsure
of whether they would be ready for languages to be introduced as a
statutory subject in 2011.
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