Cardinal Hume Catholic School Chosen as Lead Hub School for National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE)
Cardinal Hume Catholic School, in Gateshead, is delighted to announce it has been selected as a lead hub school for the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE).
As a secondary school that often voices its commitment to delivering the very highest level of education, this decision is a great reflection of their efforts. Well done to everybody who contributed to this wonderful news!
It also demonstrates a dedication to promoting language education and expanding opportunities for students, across Gateshead and the wider region, through its role supporting other secondary schools.
Cardinal Hume is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust. BWCET supports and partners with five secondary schools, one middle school, one first school, and forty-one primary schools across Northumberland, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham.
A groundbreaking £14.9 million language programme
University College London’s Institute of Education (IoE) is the driving force behind the Department of Education’s innovative £14.9 million language programme, which is being implemented in primary and secondary schools nationwide over the next three years.
This initiative is particularly focused on increasing language learning opportunities for disadvantaged pupils, which is fantastic news for the North East.
The goal is to develop strategies that encourage a broader range of students, including boys and those with special educational needs or disabilities, to choose languages as part of their academic journey.
Cela ne semble-t-il pas être un excellent plan?
Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “We’re thrilled to hear that Cardinal Hume Catholic School has been chosen as lead hub school for the NCLE. This is a fantastic accomplishment that really highlights the quality of North East schools in a range of academic subjects.
“The ability to speak other languages is a hugely useful asset for pupils, both professionally and personally. There are so many doors that can open up for them as a result of putting their efforts into learning a new language. And what an incredible start this will be for them.”
The NCLE sets out to accomplish several things, including:
● Encourage high quality language teaching in schools
● Increase languages uptake at GCSE
● Support levelling up opportunities for disadvantaged pupils
● Better recognise and support the rich diversity of languages, in addition to English, spoken by one in every five pupils.
The newly-established NCLE has identified lead schools specialising in languages to act as lead hub schools. These schools will be tasked with delivering training to up to seven partner schools to improve standards of language teaching.
Language hubs and clubs
Cardinal Hume has been selected to serve as a hub and will play a crucial role in promoting language learning, from primary school through to GCSE, over the next three years. The school will work hard to build upon the success of the modern foreign language hub pilot. Excelente!
Language hubs were initially outlined in the government’s Schools White Paper, which underpins the Department for Education’s ambitious goal to have 90 percent of Year 10 students studying core academic subjects for the English Baccalaureate by 2025.
Research shows that there are clear educational, personal, cultural, social, and career benefits in being able to communicate confidently in another language. So, learning to speak a language other than English will be an incredibly useful asset.
Brendan Robson, Head Teacher at Cardinal Hume, said of the announcement: “We’re delighted with this positive news, which really vindicates our commitment to languages. By participating in this initiative, we are contributing to the advancement of high-quality language education in England.
“This programme is both unique and exciting, and we look forward to working alongside the IoE in supporting such an important initiative.”
The NCLE will collaborate with key stakeholders within the language education community, including the Goethe-Institut and the British Council.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch! Wir sind gespannt, wohin das führt.
Cardinal Hume Catholic School is a Schools North East Partner School. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner Programme, click here.
We love to hear good news from North East Schools, to share your news with Schools North East please tag @SchoolsNE on Twitter or apply here.
