NVQ case studies

Success through NVQ with lower ability students
Aim: to offer an alternative to GCSE so that lower ability students are able to access a language qualification which is not exam-based and to increase MFL take-up at KS4 as a consequence.

NVQ Languages from Year 9 
The aims were to raise achievement of students in languages in KS4 by providing an appropriate language course, motivate Year 9 students to continue language study in KS4 by beginning the Level 1 course in Year 9 and to provide for the needs of gifted and talented students by offering a Level 3 NVQ.  

International Business Communications (IBC) as an alternative to GCSE
Formerly known as 'VIPS', the language component enables the students to undertake vocational language units mainly in KS4 – but the qualification can be delivered at all levels thus ensuring progression routes from KS3 to university level.

NVQ Languages
The introduction of NVQ French, German and Spanish in KS4 for lower attainers and disaffected students.

NVQ Languages to improve motivation 
'Disaffected students are developing a  more mature approach to their learning. This seems to be seeping through into other curriculum areas. I have been asked to help other schools to develop their NVQ provision.' Head of MFL

NVQ Languages to raise achievement 
The aims were to raise achievement of students in languages in KS4, to accredit the second foreign language by means of twilight sessions in KS4 and to motivate Year 9 students to continue language study in KS4.

NVQ Business German 
'Our children are excited and motivated by this style of learning and are therefore achieving  highly. It is proving motivational for children of all abilities allowing them to be creative, independent learners' Headteacher

NVQ to promote a second language
NVQ has been delivered for several years as a means of ensuring significant numbers of pupils studied a second modern foreign language. We were for some time the largest single centre in the country entering candidates for OCR’s NVQ certification.

NVQ for less-able linguists
The objective for introducing NVQ was to raise attainment and motivation of less able linguists in the school.

NVQ to ensure Languages for all
To introduce NVQ for certain groups in KS4, thereby enabling all students to follow a language course leading to a nationally recognised qualification. 

NVQ to improve results
Key objectives: to introduce an NVQ Languages course to improve motivation and results of students in KS4.

NVQ Languages for the World of Work
Introduction of an NVQ Languages course developed by the school set in a vocational context with the aim of giving less academic students a greater sense of purpose and enjoyment to learning a language.

NVQ as an alternative to final examinations 
Aims: to offer an appropriate language course in KS4 for learners who find final examinations more difficult and to offer a Level 3 course to Sixth Form students who have completed a Level 2 course in KS4.

Creative approaches with NVQ languages 
Aims:To improve participation in languages in KS4 and to help students to see the relevance of languages in a range of work environments. 

Entry Level Certificate case studies

Entry Level Spanish 
The aims were to provide accreditation at a basic level for students beginning Spanish in KS4.and to make the course motivating by incorporating current affairs and topics of specific interest to the students.

FCSE case studies

FCSE in Year 9
To accredit performance in languages at the end of the key stage to ensure that students not continuing a study of languages in KS4 could be rewarded for the language they have studied for a number of years.

Ab initio FCSE Languages
The course has been favourably received by the students which is made up largely of teenage boys with low confidence. They are more positive about learning a language and feel that they can achieve something.

FCSE to increase take-up
Initially the FCSE qualification was piloted with the two top set Year 9 groups, students who were targeting high level 5s and level 6s at the end of Key Stage 3. Following the success of this pilot it was used with a range of groups, from those predicted a high level 6 to those predicted a low level 4.

Asset Languages case studies

Asset Languages replace GCSEs
It was decided to replace these traditional exams with Asset Languages which are considered by the school to be more appropriate for the students in that they are more flexible, more motivating and less elitist.

Asset Languages to accredit Community Languages

The objective was to accredit a range of languages in KS3 and KS4 using Asset Languages.

Fast-track GCSE in Years 8 and 9 followed by Advanced Asset in KS4
The aims were to ensure that pupils achieve their full potential in French at KS4 and o encourage more pupils to move onto further study of French at sixth form and university. Results for the first 4 years of the fast-track were 100% A*-C.

Asset Languages at the end of KS3 to encourage KS4 uptake
'Asset languages has increased the motivation of my Year 9 who by this time of the year know they will not carry on with Spanish for KS4 usually feel demotivated in lessons. Asset Languages has greatly helped to avoid this as they are working to achieve their qualification.' MFL Teacher  

Using Asset Languages as a vocational pathway
Objectives: to use Asset Languages for students following a vocational pathway and as an alternative to GCSE or Entry Level Certification, to use Asset Languages as an end assessment in Years 6 and 9, to reward and encourage primary colleagues and teaching assistants to learn alongside students and gain MFL qualifications.

Certificate in Business Language Competence (CBLC) case studies

Building capacity for business language teachers
The aims and objectives include: bringing staff together from institutions across the region to identify and share best practice in relation to CBLC teaching and learning; identifying innovative teaching methods and resources to prepare students for examination and progression routes and sharing best practice in teaching and learning.

NOCN (National Open College Network) case studies

NOCN Spanish for BTEC Travel and Tourism Students
Objectives: To offer a Spanish course for a small group of students of varying ability taking a Travel and Tourism BTEC award, or Leisure and Tourism, who may or may not have had a GCSE in another foreign language (usually French or German.

Certificate in Business Chinese case studies

Certificate in Business Chinese
Aim: to introduce an appropriate form of accreditation in Chinese for students in Years 9 and 12.

The BA Flag Award case studies

The BA Flag at KS3 
These video clips feature Crista Hazell from John Cabot Academy with some Year 9 students who have been working towards the British Airways Flag Award.

The BA Flag Award for Year 11
'The BA Flag Award helped me practise for my GCSE oral exam' – Year 11 student.

The BA Flag Award
Involvement in the BA Flag Award for schools was originally to enhance the experience of Gifted and Talented linguists in Year 10 and to offer an opportunity to achieve an additional qualification in a vocational context at an important time during the KS4 GCSE courses. Early success has provided a foundation for growth and the scheme has now been rolled out to all students who have opted for languages at KS4.

The BA Flag Award to promote the value of Languages
'It has given a further incentive to speak a language well, not just to pass a GCSE exam.' Member of the MFL department.

Foreign Language Leader Award case studies

Using the Language Leaders Award
Aim: To introduce the Language Leader Award as a means of motivating students and improving their foreign language skills.

The Language Leaders Award for Gifted and Talented students
'The FLLA can inspire the pupils as learners and as teachers… I feel my enthusiasm for MFL is conveyed through my teaching and the students pick up on this and employ it in their own teaching.' Noel Warham.

ASDAN International Award case studies

CoPE through International Communication and Business Enterprise 
CoPE International is a course that staff at the school created originally by making a hybrid from ASDAN’s Certificate of Personal Effectiveness challenge-based portfolio-assessed Level 2 and Level 1 qualification and its International Award Scheme.

ASDAN International Award 
Key objective: to introduce the ASDAN International Award and ASDAN CoPE programme to around 200 students in Year 8 and 9 in order to give them accreditation at the end of KS3.

ABC Award case studies

Spanish for parents and their children
The course allowed adults to take part in education without the need for childcare. The mix of parents and children worked well and they all interacted with one other. Ice breaker style activities encouraged the learners to mingle, and this in turn helped the dynamics of the group.