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   102651.jpg','npics2','Year+five+children+with+their+artwork%2C+l-r+Khalil+Abdulrauf+and+Jagoda+Horozanska');) 102744.jpg','npics2','Year+one+teacher+Catherine+Thorp+with+her+class');)  Salford school to be language hub
A Salford school which was in Special Measures just three years ago has been named as Greater Manchester’s first centre of excellence for teaching English to primary school-aged children new to the country. St Thomas of Canterbury, in Higher Broughton, now classed as Outstanding by Ofsted, is one of Greater Manchester’s leading primary schools when it comes to teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL). The Greater Manchester City Challenge programme has designated it as an EAL hub for the region’s schools. It means teachers from across Greater Manchester will be visiting its Hadfield Street premises to share its expertise. Up to five more primary schools are now expected to follow in its footsteps and also be designated as EAL hubs. Of the 240 pupils at St Thomas, two thirds speak English as an additional language having come from as far afield as Poland, Eritrea and Brazil. In all, 22 languages are spoken by pupils at the school. But despite this cultural mix, staff only speak English during lessons. Headteacher David Deane said: “The best way to teach new arrivals is to place them with the most articulate speakers, whoever they may be, so that they can soak up the language.” Regardless of their age and level of spoken English on arrival, pupils are set individual challenges to help them pick up the verbal and written language skills they need to assist them in class and later life. Cutting edge teaching techniques and individual tuition are employed to bring about a better understanding and competency in English. For example, children are given simple tasks verbally which, if completed correctly, demonstrate a good understanding of English. Mr Deane added: “Youngsters also learn entire stories, so they know where the commas and full stops go. They then adapt them so, by learning the original version so completely, they have a template which helps them to write with clear punctuation.” The routines of learning English as an additional language are implemented across the curriculum in everything from religious studies to science, and Mr Deane is proud that this approach has yielded such successful results. He said: “Children in this school who use English as an additional language perform at least as well as those here who speak English as their first language.” Greater Manchester Challenge is also funding a research programme at St Thomas which will help establish the best way to encourage English skills among older children. It comes after St Thomas’ staff identified an issue with children who pick up English well but don’t develop more advanced literacy skills. Mr Deane said: “We were finding that we could get children past the initial stage of learning English within six to eight months with a reasonably intelligent junior aged child. But once advanced learners had been here two years even their writing skills were hitting a plateau.” The research programme which compares the new reading and writing techniques being used at St Thomas with those used elsewhere in Greater Manchester, is now underway and is expected to be completed at the end of this school year. Its new role as English hub is a remarkable achievement for the school. In July 2006 it was placed in Special Measures by Ofsted and emerged two years later under the new leadership of Mr Deane with a Good rating. A January 2010 inspection, under Ofsted’s new and tougher inspection regime, rated it Outstanding. It was also recently named the most improved school in England after which Mr Deane met with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street. Mr Deane said: “The most important thing we can do for our children is to give them a first class education, and so we have to focus on teaching and learning. We work through social channels but first and foremost our priority is quality education. As teaching quality has improved here so has discipline and attendance.” The Greater Manchester Challenge programme aims to share the best practice that already exists in schools across the region and find innovative methods and local solutions to break the cycle of disadvantage and educational underachievement. It was launched in July 2008 and the a three-year programme, developed in partnership with the ten Greater Manchester local authorities, aims to develop and secure significant improvements in education. This is the final year of the programme, and striking improvements have already been achieved in 130 schools facing some of the biggest challenges. The Greater Manchester Challenge was launched in July 2008. It is a three-year programme, developed in partnership with the ten Greater Manchester local authorities and all those working in education in the city region. It is backed by significant additional investment of around £50 million up until summer 2011. The Minister for the Greater Manchester Challenge is Diana Johnson, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools, and the Chief Adviser for the Greater Manchester Challenge is Professor Mel Ainscow. The Challenge aims to develop and secure significant improvements in education for each of the 600,000 children and young people in Stockport, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford and Wigan. The Challenge seeks to locate and extend the great practice that already exists within the city region, finding innovative methods and local solutions to crack the cycle of disadvantage and educational underachievement. Building on improvements already under way, by 2011 the main outcomes of the programme will be: • A sharp drop in underperforming schools, particularly focusing on English and mathematics; • More outstanding schools and colleges; • Significant improvements in educational outcomes for disadvantaged children and young people. Source: Issued on behalf of DCSF by COI News & PR North West Due to problems with spam only SalfordOnline members can now leave comments. Becoming a member of SalfordOnline only takes a minute, just hit the red Join Us button at the top right hand side of the page to create your Personal account. Got a news story? Need help with publicity for an event in Salford? Send it to newsdesk@salfordonline.com or call the SalfordOnline newsdesk on 0161 789 5377. |
