Warwickshire News Mine

The fifteen teachers from Warwickshire were so keen to develop their language teaching skills that they chose to give up their half-term holiday to spend a week’s placement in a Spanish primary school. They spent the previous week undertaking a week’s formal language tuition as part of an initiative to improve language teaching in primary schools and establish close links with other European countries.

The visit, which was organised by Warwickshire County Council in conjunction with the Instituto Cervantes, was funded by the EU.

The Warwickshire group will now be sharing teaching ideas and best practice with their colleagues and setting up links so that pupils in Warwickshire can work on joint projects with children from Spain.

By 2010, all seven to eleven-year-olds will be entitled to modern language education as part of the Government’s national strategy. Warwickshire County Council has long recognised the importance of offering languages to younger children and is the only local authority in the country to be piloting Modern Foreign Languages as a primary specialism in some of its schools.

Judith Young, International Development Officer for the Children, Young People and Families Directorate at Warwickshire County Council, said: “We were delighted to secure EU funding for this project which will help raise standards of educational attainment and create opportunities for our children in later life. The teachers who are taking part in the scheme are not only getting the chance to improve their language skills but they are also benefiting from a different educational culture.”

The visit was led by Susana Valera, Primary Languages Adviser for Warwickshire County Council, and the teachers who took part were:

South Warwickshire
David Skelcher and Jill Francis, Welford-on-Avon Primary School
Caroline Richards and Fiona Griffiths, St Mary’s Catholic Primary, Studley
Paula Dhugga, Henley-in-Arden Primary School

Central Warwickshire
Ray Tweedale, St John’s Kenilworth
Julia Heptinstall and Jenni Darvill Kingsway Community Primary, Leamington Spa
Helen Morton-Abbot, Bishops Tachbrook CofE Primary School

East Warwickshire
Alex Norton, Bilton CofE Junior, Rugby

North Warwickshire and Nuneaton and Bedworth
Cherine Dyer and Valerie Lewis, St Giles Junior, Exhall
Diane Compton, Queen’s CofE Junior, Nuneaton
Samantha Harrold and Richard Phillips, St Joseph’s Catholic Junior, Nuneaton

Link to WCC