Month abroad for trainee teachers

Trainee teachers who will provide compulsory language lessons in primary schools are benefiting from a month’s placement abroad, say inspectors.
The government wants England’s primary pupils to have modern language lessons but there have been concerns about a lack of suitably qualified staff.
Student teachers are spending a month in schools in France, Spain and Germany as part of their training courses.
The education watchdog, Ofsted, says this is proving a considerable success.
The experience of a four-week overseas placement was described as “overwhelmingly positive” in an Ofsted report examining initial teacher training courses for primary language specialists.
It says that working in two educational cultures is proving a major benefit, helping students to reflect on their training.
“These placements enabled trainees not only to develop their language skills in a relevant setting, but also to function professionally in a very different, and challenging, educational context,” said the report.
At the end of their placement in these schools abroad, students are expected to be able to teach another subject through a modern language other than English.
“Trainees gain significantly in confidence as a result of their experiences abroad. As one trainee said: ‘If I can teach geometry in Spanish, I can do anything!’”
In the 2006-07 year examined by Ofsted, there were more than 1,000 specialist primary language students in initial teacher training courses.
It is expected that each primary school will have one such specialist teacher – or perhaps two in larger schools.
By 2010, all 7 to 11-year-olds in England will be entitled to modern language lessons.
But this government initiative, addressing concerns about a lack of language skills, means a much greater demand for specialist teaching staff.
Teacher training colleges, local authorities and specialist language colleges will be expected to help to provide the extra staff.