Get Ready for September 1/5- Action Plan

Episode 1/5- Action plan

In this 5 part short podcast series, Catherine (Network Coordinator) takes you through a simple step by step process, getting you ready for September in regards to Languages coordination and teaching

First of all, understand why getting ready now is important.

Then, the first episode is all about reviewing how the year went, looking at the targets you set and creating an action plan for the year ahead. Spot improvement points and celebrate your year's victories. This first epsidode will set you up for the rest fo the series

PLN Podcast- Janet Lloyd and simple Spanish stories

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In this podcast,Janet Lloyd considers simple and effective use of Spanish story books to enhance primary languages teaching and learning for all teachers and children, especially if you are a Primary Languages Network member.

Take a listen and explore how you can develop creative and memorable Spanish learning opportunities linked to story books, including display and performance. Books and ideas are transferable to other target languages too and will fit beautifully with our Ready Made French KS2 and German KS2 schemes of work options too.

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Share stories right from the beginning. for example with our Ready Made SOW Year 3 Autumn 1 and 2 work on numbers and colours or in Y3 Spring 1 read as a class the very simple story book “Ha vista a mi gato?” in the Ready Made SOW unit “Animal Magic” , (whether you use Click 2 Teach, Be Creative or our Teach by Story).

Find out how using target language versions of familar English story books can be a stepping stone to listening to a story book in another language and developing children’s reading and listening skills and confidence.

Be creative and create a carnival party to remember with El caranaval de los animales - part of our Year 4 Spring 2 French, German and Spanish units of work. Take a look at the blogpost link below from 2015 to help with this or access the comprehesive lesson planning and resources on the Primary Languages Network virtual learning environment.

Remember books mentioned in this podcast are nearly all available in French and possibly German too. Worth listening to our first podcast in this series so that you can explore the French story books mentioned and use suggested ideas with the Spanish equivalents.

Looking for simple books, written for young learners of Spanish, for your reading corner? Janet has some suggestions for these too.

Remember that Primary Languages Network members can visit the exhibition stands of Brilliant Publications, European School Books and Little Linguist at our annual conference “All aboard! ” on 27 June 2019. Plus you can take advantage of the Little Linguist Primary Languages Network discount code (found on the home page of the VLE).

Below is a link to a blog post that Janet refers to in the podcast.

Getting ready for canival: being creative and exploring a story based on the carnival of animals and the music of Saint Saens (January 2015).

*discount code will be shown on your member dashboard


Great French books for your classroom- Janet Lloyd- PLN Podcast

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French Books

For the classroom
Janet Lloyd
PLN Podcast

But first subscribe to our podcast at https://primarylanguages.podbean.com/feed.xml

Everyone loves a story.

In this podcast, Janet shares books that complement themes and certain units of work in primary French, especially if you are a Primary Languages Network member*.

Have a listen and see how and why you should consider adding a book to your teaching and learning of languages.

Take a listen and explore ways that you can develop display and creative learning with a story time in French.

From our Ready Made SOW Year 3 Autumn 1 and 2 work on colours and reading as a class the very simple story book “Toutes les Couleurs” , (whether you use Click 2 Teach, Be Creative or our Teach by Story) ,to very familiar story books such as “Going on a Bear Hunt” in the target language that dovetail beautifully as class stories at the end of one of our units of work. Looking for simple books, written for young learners of French, for your reading corner?Janet has some suggestions for these too.

Remember that Primary Languages Network members can visit the exhibition stands of Brilliant Publications, European School Books and Little Linguist at our annual conference “All aboard! ” on 27 June 2019. Plus you can take advantage of the Little Linguist Primary Languages Network discount code (found on the home page of the VLE).

Below is a link to a blog post that Janet refers to in the podcast.

KS1 Going on a Bear Hunt blogpost (Spanish rhyme - ideas in blogpost are transferable to other target languages)

*discount code will be shown on your member dashboard

PLN Podcast- How to develop your languages teaching-- Susanne Wilson

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How to develop your Languages Teaching

Susanne Wilson —
PLN Podcast

Susanne Wilson is the training coordinator at PLN and helps develops teachers ability to coordinate and teach languages more effectively at their schools. Her insights in languages are incredible and she has an ability to breakdown complex ideas into simple and fun ways of sharing them. 

In this podcast Susanne, first of all, tells her story of her passion for learning languages and then moves on to some troubleshooting for potential scenarios for MFL coordinators and teachers alike

Furthermore, she will be speaking at the conference on June 27th- More info found here

More info about Primary Languages Network training courses found here

Use this URL to subscribe - https://primarylanguages.podbean.com/feed.xml

PLN Podcasts : Delving into the World of Primary Languages and beyond...

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PLN Podcasts: # 1-#6

Bringing together experts in the field of primary languages, whether the experts are in the classroom , members of SLT , language consultants or advisers, we want to share with you a wide range of experience and knowledge that can only help broaden your own horizons of the wonderful opportunities in teaching

We started these recordings in late November 2018 and now there are 6 podcasts from which to select .An opportunity to sit back with a coffee and listen to one or more of these podcasts between our roving teacher reporter Will (looking through an honest lens and as a non-specialist in primary languages) and experts in the field of Primary Languages.

Use this URL to subscribe - https://primarylanguages.podbean.com/feed.xml

Primary Languages Podcast #1

A child only gets one chance at being an 8 year old -”learning a language in primary school and the role of all teachers, specialist linguists or non-specialist linguists ”: the big picture. ( Interview with Janet Lloyd)

Primary Languages Podcast #2

Meet the team .Honest observations on the role of the PPA French primary teacher and the also role of the native speaker in the classroom. (Interview with Emilie Woodroffe)

Primary Languages Podcast #3

Wisdom, reflections on years of experience, and the whys and the wherefores for primary languages” from a true expert in the field: ( Interview with Therese Comfort)

Primary Languages Podcast #4

Revitalising languages, making purposeful links between KS2 and KS3 MFL and taking a look at the role of senior leadership (Interview with Suzanne O’Farrell- MFL Lead ASCL)

Primary Languages Podcast #5

Time out in coffee shop to consider the role and power of global links in the primary and secondary classroom. (Interview with John Rolfe MBE - British Council Adviser and Wendy de Corte- Global Links Consultant)

Primary Languages Podcast #6

How to showcase primary languages and to encourage all staff to engage with the learning and promotion of primary languages in your own schools and settings. (Interview with Paul Philips DHT, Our Lady of the Star and the Sea Catholic Primary School)






Making progress 4

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The evidence shared by Primary Languages Network teachers shows examples of the four core skills and language learning skills.The examples have been captured in the classroom on the day that the learning took place from KS1 to UKS2. We hope that these examples help primary schools have confidence in their own primary languages teaching and learning plus we hope that the evidence in the Making Progress” blogposts so far support secondary colleagues in their developing understanding of the language learning in primary schools. (Links or our Making Progress 1 - Sept to Oct 2018,Making Progress 2 Oct- Dec 2018) and Making Progress 3 (January- February 2019)

The evidence in this post has been gathered from a sample of our 350 plus Primary Languages Network schools in French,Spanish and German (KS1 to UKS2) in Marchy , during Spring 2 half term and the run up to Easter 2019.

We realise that to make progress, teachers need to feel able to support their young learners. So we are working hard to help primary teachers to better understand and feel better equipped to engage their own primary learners with the skills and knowledge required to become language leaners. So let’s start with some examples of how teachers have been making progress, supported by Primary Languages Network via PLN CPD from this last half term .

What we really love, is when we see the work, support ,CPD and in-school ingenuity and commitment coming together to create effective language learning environments for children . Take a look here at Hope Primary,Knowsley and the case study we created on the wonderful way this school is working towards outstanding progress in primary Spanish with all its children and teachers!

We work with KS1 pupils too and these young language learners ,not only demonstrate to us what progress can be made but are certainly pushing us too, to see what we potentialy will be able to achieve in Year 3 with language learners in the future.

We are always amazed by how our primary schools and teachers find innovative and purposeful ways to link primary language learning, culture and cross curricular learning .

Year 5 French and links with literacy- becoming journalists and tour guide authors.

World Book Day becomes “World Book Week “ in our network and it never fails to disappoint .Once again teachers and schools find ways to make those cross curricular, creative and literacy links with language learning.

We continue to see progress in our primary language learners’ understanding of structure and grammar in simple target language sentences too .

Plus we find new ways of encouraging the continued development of all four core skills in target language learning. Here are some examples of work based on reading or listening, responding and reading.


Primary progress is key and offering our learners opportunities to engage in purposeful,current learning ,using a target language is certainly beneficial.Our “over to you to be the teacher” yoga activities are very popular.

We find that schools want to see language learning as an integral part of the progress their young primary learners make.Here’s an example of a growing and effective working wall in one of our schools.

And then of course there are those really special moments - often best when linked directly to the target language country, real target language speakers and special cultural moments….

Our Lady’s of the Star and the Sea have this Easter found ways to combine their own RE and the target language culture and a special Easter festival too.

How to showcase languages effectively at your school- Paul Phillips- PLN Podcast

Simply put, Paul Phillips is a wizard when it comes to exhibiting languages at this school in Whitby. He is a man of invaluable knowledge in regards to practicality, simplicity and whole school engagement, and in this podcast, he provides you with some great ideas whether you are an NQT or more experienced teacher. He also has managed to master using all his resources available to him to create an exciting and engaging language learning experience for children for example school grounds, cross-curricular activities and the PLN online resources

Listen to how he has planned a Spanish style easter parade through Ellesmere Port, which was done today (17th April)

Furthermore, He will be speaking at the conference on June 27th- More info found here

More info about Primary Languages Network found here

Use this URL to subscribe - https://primarylanguages.podbean.com/feed.xml

Planet Word. Be inspired!

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Inspiration! Today, listening to David Crystal OBE, triggered so many fantastic ideas to share the languages spoken in our own communities and speak up for languages and their value in our communities.. Links between languages, celebrating languages, links between languages and literacy, sharing our languages…. the list goes on.

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I had the great fortune today at ALL Language World 2019 to attend the Mary Glasgow Plenary Presentation, “Twenty five years of not (yet) having a House of Languages”. Intriguing title ! His vision is for a museum of “living “ languages to “speak up for languages” and to share the importance and relevance of languages in everyone’s lives.

During the presentation I was inspired to tweet possible ways that we in all our primary schools, clusters and MATs icould contribute to a nationwide interconnected “House of Languages”.

Here are the tweets in order of inspiration.Hope that may inspire some of you who read this to perhaps investigate further the suggestions and create “Planet Words” in yoour own communities and schools.

Alphabet sculptures……Great languages, literacy, home languages and Art links here.

Voice analysis- just what might your voice sound like on 10,20,30 years? Drama,science and language learning links here

Celebrating all languages in our schools. Bringing home languages and primary foreign languages together.Celebrate and collate all the languages we use and hear in our learning communities.

Exploring the “mundo lingua” space in Paris via this website link.Use this as a platform to design your own “mundo lingua” spaces in schools.

Enage with the wider local community.Create library spaces in shared areas to share books from all the languages spoken and written in our communities.

Take this further and create multi-lending spaces in empty spaces and shops in our local hgh streets.

Set your children a challenge.Design language museum spaces of the future.Be inspired by the internatioanl architecture competition to design suitable spaces with interactive devices to share the excitement and diversity of languages.

Celebrate “English” and its origins.Find out more about the Winchester project.Become experts in your own schools and look at the origins of the English language. Great literacy, languages, history and geography investigations here.

Explore “Planet Word” and find out about this interactive language museum in America is taking shape. Take inspiration from this and build a speaking wall or a languages walk of your own in school , to celebrate “Planet Word” in your own school.

PLN News Podcast- March

This is the March edition of the podcast, all things to do with the conference, CPD, premium dashboard and local network meetings

for CPD enquiries contact susanne@primarylanguages.network

for LNM enquiries contact coordinator@primarylanguages.network

to ask about the new dashboard contact will@primarylanguages.network

to try out all our resources go to www.primarylanguages.network/tryitnow 

Any other enquiries go to www.primarylanguages.network

PLN podcast #4-Suzanne O'Farrell -- Revitalising Language Learning.

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#4 Suzanne O’Farrell

Revitalising Secondary MFL

This podcast is a conversation with Suzanne O'Farrell, ASCL MFL Lead, supporting primary and secondary school leaders in supporting effective MFL provision in schools, an experienced secondary Head and former MFL Head of Department. In conversation with a young teacher, who speaks Spanish and now works with teachers and schools in the primary sector, she offers great insights into her previous roles and future ambitions and aspirations for education

Take a listen! Suzanne is a bubbly and enthusiastic leader in our sector and somebody (after listening to this podcast) in which we can put our trust to continue to support school leaders as they seek to improve standards in modern foreign languages’ provision in primary and secondary education.