School helps develop its French connection

Teachers spend a week across the Channel and say ‘Oui’ to language development

As pupils across Courier Country headed back to school this week, one Fife primary school was saying “bienvenue” to the new academic year.

Teachers Dawn Allan and Meg Allan (no relation) spent a week in France on a highly sought-after immersion language course, with the aim of enhancing their French lessons at Leuchars Primary School.

Dawn explained: “Meg and I completed a 10-week French evening course at Bell Baxter High School in Cupar and that was when we first heard about the possibility of attending immersion courses.”.

Along with another Fife teacher and two more from Dundee, Dawn and Meg travelled to Salignac – in the south west of France – at the beginning of July and spent a week with 25 other teachers and early years officers on the course.

Communicating entirely in French, the students spent each day brushing up and practising their skills, as well as learning and devising new games and activities they could bring back to the classroom.

Dawn added: “We appreciated being given the opportunity to speak and learn with others who were as passionate as we were to further the teaching of different languages in the primary school.

“We both have a renewed confidence and enthusiasm to take what we have learnt back to our classrooms and share with our colleagues so they too will have new ideas to explore with their classes. “

French is now part of the daily routine in the classes and that is something the two teachers would like to see throughout their school.

“Having another language is very important in equipping pupils with skills for later in life and for educating the young workforce,” Dawn added.

“Children who are exposed to more than one language can grasp other languages and their own language more ably than others.

“It’s important to equip young pupils with the confidence to speak and understand another language in order for them to keep abreast of young people in other countries.”

And Dawn believes it’s not just children who benefit.

“I would urge anyone keen to learn a new language to give it a go – it’s never too late to learn,” she said.

Dawn Allan, who along with fellow Leuchars teacher Meg Allan spent a week immersed in the language and culture of France, brings a Continental dimension to the classroom.