Primary MFL and Language Colleges - Working in partnership

In 2003 CILT launched a project, Early Language Learning and Language Colleges (ELL-LC) that included 70 Language Colleges, each working with its family of schools in order to teach languages successfully to young learners.

There are now over 200 SLCs and their primary partners involved in supporting and extending excellent provision in primary MFL. We held our last annual conference for the ELL-LC project on 12th December 2008. The focus was the crucial area of building training and support networks in order to develop quality and sustainability in Primary Languages. The conference brought together representatives from CILT, teachers in SLCs and primary teachers.

Primary and secondary teachers working in partnership have been able to build on strategies and techniques from the National Literacy Strategy in order to develop pupils' awareness of language and the links that exist between English and other languages. Even very young learners of the foreign language quickly become aware of linguistic patterns and conventions and can be creative and independent in the language.

What does this mean for the Language College? It means that pupils arriving in Year 7 come with enthusiasm and a good grasp of language learning skills. They are used to listening to the foreign language and know the need for good pronunciation and clear speaking. They are happy to work in pairs and groups and are not self-conscious when it comes to role-play and performing in the foreign language. These skills are beneficial to other curriculum areas too!

Project partners have been working in regional clusters in partnership with CILT Language Teaching Advisers and through a dedicated electronic forum, LCnet. Advice for Language Colleges running their own regional event focussing on primary languages is available on the CILT support pages.

If you would like further information about how to get involved in the next phase of this project please email tabitha.cooper@cilt.org.uk