What was the Pilot?

Initially a 3 year pilot project to develop and evaluate the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages in primary schools in Wales, the pilot was extended for a further 3 years to measure the impact of the early start on standards in Key Stage 3 and uptake of MFL in Key Stage 4.

The pilot was funded by the Welsh Government and coordinated by CILT Cymru, the National Centre for Languages in Wales. It formed part of the Assembly's strategy "Languages Count" (2002) - the aim of which is to increase participation in language learning across Wales.

What were the aims of the pilot?

• To support schools wishing to teach a modern foreign language as part of the curriculum in Key Stage 2.
• For the Welsh Assembly to gather an evidence base for future decision-making of how teaching and learning a foreign language in KS2 can complement and enrich the primary curriculum as a whole and benefit pupils as they move on to secondary school.

Who was involved in the pilot?

Phase 1 (2003-2006) + Phase 2 (2006-2009)

Phase 1 of the Pilot involved 22 secondary schools and 105 primary schools across Wales. Approximately half the schools involved were Welsh-medium schools.

Phase 2 (2006-09) allowed participating schools to complete their clusters or families of schools, with the aim of working together to maximize the impact of the early start upon transfer of pupils to the secondary school. 18 secondary schools and 118 primary schools were involved. Click here to view a full list of participating schools and their LEAs.

How was the pilot organized?

Schools received a small grant from CILT Cymru to enable them to work as 'Clusters', i.e. one secondary school working closely with its associate primaries. The languages taught in KS2 were predominantly French, with some Spanish and German. Some clusters offered more than 1 language to its primary pupils, however all primary schools were required to offer a minimum of 19 hours (in academic year) of MFL as part of the curriculum in KS2.Teaching was predominantly aimed at pupils in Years 5 and 6, but some primary schools cascaded the teaching to Years 3 and 4.

The 3 models of delivery were:

1. Timetabled visiting MFL teacher(s) from the secondary school.
2. In house primary teacher(s) with some MFL expertise.
3. Peripatetic teacher(s) employed by a cluster of primary schools.

The predominant delivery model was the visiting secondary specialist, however, some clusters used a mixture of the 3 models to suit their individual school's needs. Clusters collaborated on an agreed programme of study and an agreed rationale which enabled primary colleagues to share their expertise in KS2 methodology and KS3 colleagues to share specialist language knowledge. Clusters met on a regular basis to review progress and plan ahead.

How was the pilot evaluated?

Phase 1 gathered a comprehensive evidence base of how to introduce MFL at KS2 and looked at the benefits to the curriculum. Phase 1 was evaluated independently and the report was extremely encouraging. Click here to view a summary of the report's findings and to download the full report.

Phase 2 continued to support the primary sector but had a greater emphasis on transition arrangements and the tracking of pupils as they moved on to Key Stage 3 and beyond. An independent evaluation of Phase 2 of the pilot will be published by the Welsh  Government in late 2010.