Melanie Olver, Language College Leader, The Earls High School

Project croissant is an exciting cross phase project from The Earls High School, Birmingham, involving a range of cultural and language activities.
 
The project involves twenty Year 5 pupils working (in groups of four) with Year 9 Mentors (two per group) and a Year 10 Leader per group, on four topics for an hour after school over a twenty week period. Having submitted their application forms, the fifteen appointed secondary pupils are paid to deliver the topics using the resources provided.

Whilst promoting a hunger for learning languages amongst Year 5 pupils and building their confidence in secondary school life, the project has been successful in many other ways. It has increased the secondary pupils’ confidence, both socially and linguistically, raised awareness of teamwork, communication and organisational skills, motivated the pupils to study French at GCSE and provided a useful snapshot into teaching (many have said how much more difficult it is than they had previously thought and are far more sympathetic to the cause as a result!).

Topic 1: Haricotville
Pupils spend 5 weeks learning and practising specific transactional language in order to be able to speak to natives in a simulated town at the Europa Centre for Languages, Havering, Essex, where they also watch a puppet show.

Topic 2: Mon Anniversaire
Following the puppet show at The Europa Centre, the pupils spend 6 weeks designing their script and making their puppets in order to produce and perform their own show.

Topic 3: La Météo
Pupils learn the basic weather structures and north/south/in the Alps/in Paris etc. They then produce their own weather forecast autocue using ICT and design their weather map accordingly, using Kudlian software. Trilby Multi Media then film the pupils using a “green screen” and produce a DVD for each of them.

Topic 4: Tarte Tatin
This topic deals much more with French culture and pupils research the history of the Tarte Tatin, visit Michelle’s La Bastille French restaurant in Birmingham, watch a cooking demonstration (frogs legs, snails, mussels, crepes & Tarte Tatin) and also taste each of the dishes. Pupils then come back into school in order to make the Tarte Tatin. 

Finally, all the pupils present the different topics in the form of a carousel for the Primary Headteachers, teachers, parents, families and governors.

The project was set up in 2005/6 with the help of Creative Partnerships funding and also the Halesowen Learning Network Consortium. This year, since gaining a second specialism we have used some Language College funding as well as funding from other sources.

Project Croissant has been a great success and enjoyed by all those who have taken part. Each year it goes from strength to strength thanks to the enthusiastic, expert delivery of our pupils and we hope to develop the project in other languages in the future. 

Quotes from the pupils:

“I enjoyed the first topic the most, because we got to know the primary pupils and we actually got to be teachers, at the front of the room, with white boards. C’était très bon.”  Anthony Aldridge Year 9

“It was rewarding to see how much the Year 5’s progressed in French.”  Maria Meadows Year 9

“..it has helped with our confidence and organisational skills…I hope I will get a chance to be involved in it next year!”  Jonathan Hunt Year 9

“A memorable experience! Would definitely do it again!” Ashleigh Luff Year 9

“It was so much fun and I took away so many valuable skills I can use in the future. I loved working with the younger children and watching them improve their French.” Emilea Withers Year 9

“I think that the Year 5’s gained confidence as they came every week and I loved the teaching experience.” Jessica Whiting Year 10