PUPILS GET CHANCE TO LEARN RUSSIAN, JAPANESE AND ANCIENT GREEK IN NEW LANGUAGE COLLEGES AS SPECIALIST SCHOOL TOTAL TOPS 600 - ESTELLE MORRIS

22 Jan 2001 12:00 AM

38 new Specialist Schools were announced today by School Standards Minister Estelle Morris, including new Language Colleges providing courses for pupils in languages such as Russian, Japanese and Mandarin as well as more commonly taught European languages.

Language teaching for inner city pupils at Greenford High in Ealing, West London, will give them a flying start to get the job skills required by local businesses, including international airlines serving Heathrow Airport.

Today''s designations will bring the total number of schools with specialist status to 609 from September 2001 - including 108 Language Colleges. The Government has set a target of 1,000 Specialist Schools by 2004.

School Standards Minister Estelle Morris today congratulated the schools. At the nine new Language Colleges, secondary pupils will be encouraged to study two modern foreign languages and many are offering Saturday schools and Masterclasses for gifted children from local primary schools.

From next September, the 38 secondary schools will specialise and include 24 Technology Colleges, nine Language Colleges, four Arts Colleges and one Sports College. Three new areas - Middlesbrough, Poole and Thurrock - get their first Specialist School.

Ms Morris said:

''It is particularly encouraging to see the rise in the number of Language Colleges. The European Year of Languages highlights the importance of language skills, which can open up new worlds of work, learning and travel.

''Specialist Schools have an important role in helping to raise standards, adding diversity to secondary education. Specialist Schools now account for more than 1 in 6 secondary schools which means the Government is well over half way to meeting its new target of 1,000 Specialist Schools by 2004.

''The Technology Colleges in this round are to be commended for their innovative work involving business partners such as Marconi, Tesco, Ford and Barclays Bank. All are dedicated to giving local adults a chance to learn new skills - for example setting up Cyber Cafes, adult classes, family science days and some providing creche facilities.

''I congratulate all the successful schools. It is not easy to become a Specialist School and it is not easy to deliver against their targets, but I know they will devote their enthusiasm, skills and hard work to the task. This year''s Performance Tables show that hard work is paying off at existing Specialist Schools with their excellent academic results.''

NOTES FOR EDITORS

This press notice applies to England.

1. Case Studies - Newly Designated Specialist Schools:

Selected Language Colleges:

Frederick Gough School, North Lincolnshire is located near Scunthorpe where at least 15 per cent of companies export to Europe and/or worldwide and there are important links to mainland Europe and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe. French, German and Russian are taught at present and they are introducing Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. Masterclasses, fast-track courses, video-conferencing/e-mail links with partner schools overseas and a homework club will all help the school to expand teaching of languages.

St Clere''s School, Thurrock will teach many languages - including French, German, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese (or Japanese) and Russian, along with vocational courses. Work experience, visits and exchanges and cross-curricular projects will all help develop pupils'' language skills.

Greenford High School, Ealing, has over 200 companies based in the area, creating a high demand for foreign language skills. Language College status will help encourage local pupils to become more interested in languages. French, German, Spanish and Punjabi are offered and provision will be expanded to include Gujerati, other community languages and a further European language.

Selected Technology Colleges:

Valentines High School, Redbridge, has technology links to the wider community include a ''Chat Cafe'' for primary schools and e-mail links. The school uses technology to bring together a diverse population (80 per cent of pupils speak English as an additional language) including local Muslim and Jewish communities. It also has industrial links with Ford and Marconi.

Bushey Meads School, Hertfordshire, is the designated school in South Hertfordshire for severely physically impaired children and technology has helped students to access the curriculum despite being unable to walk, write or speak, or who require regular medical treatment during the school day. A new #1.5m purpose built science block opens September 2003 and proposals include GNVQ Manufacturing to partner secondary schools and adults from the local community and recreational ICT evening classes for adults in the local community.

Oakwood School, Rotherham, will benefit from a block of five new science laboratories. The secondary school is to host ''Technology Days'' for local primary schools and is running an Annual Maths Circus to let Primary pupils get hands on experience of maths puzzles and games. There will also be provision for parents and other adults and the school is also teaming up with the local Job Centre to identify local skills shortages.

2. Complete List Of Newly Designated Specialist Schools:

Language Colleges:

Aylesbury High School Buckinghamshire Frederick Gough School North Lincolnshire* Pate''s Grammar School Gloucestershire Robert Pattinson School Lincolnshire* St Clere''s School Thurrock* The Henry Box School Oxfordshire The Piggott School Wokingham Thomas, Lord Audley School Essex Greenford High School Ealing*

* = First Language College in its area

Technology Colleges:

Balderstone Community High School Rochdale

Oakwood School Rotherham

Ashdown School Poole*

Bushey Meads School Hertfordshire

The Calder High School Calderdale

The Central School Lincolnshire

Chesterton Community College Cambridgeshire

Corfe Hills School Poole*

The Dronfield School Derbyshire

The Ecclesbourne School Derbyshire

Frodsham High School Cheshire

Helston School & Community College Cornwall

The Hollins High School Lancashire

John Hampden Grammar Buckinghamshire

Leiston High School Suffolk

The Magna Carta School Surrey

Meden School Nottinghamshire

Middlefield Community School Lincolnshire

Princes Risborough School Buckinghamshire

Ringmer Community College East Sussex

St Ives School Cornwall

Stowmarket High School Suffolk

The Thomas Aveling School Medway

Valentines High School Redbridge

* = First Technology College in its area

Arts Colleges:

Halewood Community School Knowsley Hall Garth School Middlesbrough Holly Lodge Girls'' School Liverpool Stoke Newington School LB Hackney

** All are the first in their area.

Sports College:

St Mary''s College Kingston Upon Hull

3. The specialist schools programme started with Technology Colleges, the first designated in 1994. The first Language Colleges opened in 1995 and the first Arts and Sports Colleges began operating in September 1997.

4. Since September 2000, there have been 536 Specialist Schools in operation: 312 Technology Colleges, 99 Language Colleges, 67 Sports Colleges and 57 Arts Colleges. Further Sports and Arts Colleges were announced in the autumn term to operate from next September. Together with today''s announcement some 609 schools have now been designated. Current plans provide for at least 650 by September this year and for 1000 by September 2004.

5. Except in some areas where there are already large numbers of specialist schools, all maintained secondary schools are eligible to apply but they are expected to consult their LEA. They must raise #50,000 sponsorship, prepare four-year development plans with measurable targets in teaching and learning in the specialist subject area, and make provision to involve other schools and the wider community. In return, the successful applicants receive #100,000 capital grant and #123 per pupil per year (for the first 1000 pupils), initially for four years.

6. Guidance for applicants is published each year.

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