We are aiming to increase the numbers of students taking French in Senior Cycle, which have traditionally been low. One of the long-term goals of our school is to introduce German as a second MFL subject. This staff mobility project, which included professional development training in Germany, has provided up-to-date and relevant linguistic trining and socio-cultural knowledge, as well as insights into new teaching methods and tools in the target language that will be utilised in our teaching and learning. The introduction of German, which will happen in our school from September 2023, will provide students with increased options and choices, will expand our curricular provision thus boosting our school profile and will contribute to the internationalisation of our school. The new Junior Cycle for MFL focuses strongly on socio-cultural knowledge and intercultural awareness, so we feel that it has been very beneficial to undertake this transnational project to help embed this aspect of the new curriculum into our teaching and learning by engaging in the professional development training courses.
We are a DEIS school, catering for the needs of many students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds who are deemed more likely to be at risk of educational failure. We are motivated to carry out this project because our school is currently undergoing a period of rapid growth and, in this context, we are eager to boost the profile of MFL subjects (French and German) and expand the choice of subjects available to students at Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate.