Case studies

French has been on the curriculum at Borough Green for more than a decade. From reception up to Year 6, children are taught French, with follow up activities that can be incorporated into other subjects. Hilary Burdess, primary teacher and MFL co-ordinator explained:

“The children are very quick to pick up listening and speaking French. Writing and reading the language are bigger challenges. We are currently using Asset Languages Teacher Assessment Packs at Breakthrough Stage with Year 6 and plan to extend this to Year 5 next year.”

“The pupils did the Grade 1 listening, reading and writing tasks at the end of the autumn term, the Grade 2 tasks in the same skills at the end of the Spring term and we are about to do the Grade 3 tasks in the last few weeks of the summer term. We still find it easier to do all the speaking tasks in one burst at the end of the year though. The children are more confident in their oral tests anyway and we will go straight for Grade 3.”

“My teaching during each term is not affected by the assessments. I don't emphasise the concept of ‘tests' at all but we make the children feel they are lucky to be involved in Asset Languages. We are always going over what we have already learnt and this is obviously useful preparation for doing tests. It's good to see that many of our children have a go at the tasks anyway, using what they know from English to guess an answer.”

“As far as results go, our pupils perform most strongly in speaking and listening tasks. We give out certificates during lessons and all children achieve success at some of the skills and at some levels. We have a number of children with special educational needs and it is pleasing that they can receive at least one certificate in recognition of their skills.”

Hilary Burdess, Primary Teacher, Borough Green Primary School

At Parbold Douglas, Year 6 children mark their achievements in Spanish by taking Asset's externally-assessed tests every May. Every July, the school holds an end-of-year assembly where children are presented with Asset certificates, watched by their parents. Last year, 29 Year 6 children celebrated their success with certificates for skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing at the beginner's (or Breakthrough) stage. Many got the top grade for this level.

Señora (Barbara) Murphy teaches each class from Year 3 upwards. “The children really enjoy learning Spanish and are a pleasure to teach,” she commented. Alongside weekly Spanish lessons the school puts on events such as special Spanish days to engage the enthusiasm of its primary language learners. Señora Murphy was interested in external assessment as she wanted a formal but unobtrusive way of giving her pupils credit for what they have achieved.

“We play the Asset tests down. We don't mention them way in advance. They take place during normal lesson time in May. It's not a SAT and we don't want the children to be anxious. Everyone in the class is entered including statemented children, and they all get excellent results. We do have an Asset Spanish Teacher Assessment Pack as well, but we just use it as a practice run before the actual test.

“It's important that children have a record of their achievement in all four skills because we want them to make real progress in all aspects of their language learning. I start with speaking and listening and focus on good pronunciation before looking at sound spelling links and then progressing on to reading and writing.”

Parents receive a letter explaining about Asset tests. Señora Murphy continued, “I get the speaking test out of the way first, using the fact that you can do the conversation and presentation parts separately. The children then take a short listening, reading and writing test as part of their lesson time over three weeks.”

Señora Murphy writes to the feeder secondary schools explaining the level of Spanish that an incoming pupil from Parbold Douglas will have. The formal evidence of Asset helps with this. “We are passionate about preparing the children to be lifelong learners. Getting excellent results is thrilling for them and their parents, and the school is extremely proud of their achievements.”

Señora (Barbara) Murphy, Parbold Douglas School

Since Grove School was awarded specialist language college status in 2002, it has worked hard to fulfil its responsibilities with its partner primary schools. The school uses Asset Languages external exams in KS2 to provide recognition of the progress made by language learners in its partner primaries.

Grove has ten partner primaries. Young learners in these feeder schools are prepared for the study of languages at KS3 and above, by staff from the Grove's languages department who deliver lessons to all Year 6 learners.

Ceri Bedford, Assistant Head teacher and Director of the Language College, believes that having formal recognition of the progress that the primary learners make is important.

“Learners arrive at secondary school with a positive ‘can do' attitude to language learning. They have been rewarded for their achievement and are encouraged to progress further. Some primary colleagues have also taken the Asset external tests alongside their learners having participated in the lessons, and they too are encouraged and motivated by their achievements.”

As Asset gives you the option to assess language skills separately, staff at Grove enter their young learners for listening and reading tests only, due to time and resource restrictions. Last year, they prepared over 300 primary age learners for short tests in two skills in June. They took the beginner (or Breakthrough stage) exams, equivalent to Entry Level on the National Qualifications Framework.

Ceri continued, “Results are always encouraging with many learners achieving the top grade in at least one skill. It is also motivating for many of our learners on the learning support register to get a certificate in at least one skill. They start secondary school knowing that languages is something they can do!

Ceri Bedford, Assistant Head teacher and Director of the Language College, Grove School, Market Drayton, Shropshire

A number of primary schools in Liverpool have been blazing a trail with the use of Asset Languages, in particular to support the teaching of Spanish.

At St Sebastian's RC Primary School and Arnot St Mary C of E Primary School, children in Year 6 who have learnt Spanish for seven years are given recognition for their skills. Advisory teacher, Sheila Grady, chose to use Asset “because the children have been receiving two Spanish lessons a week and I felt it was time for them to be externally assessed to show the level they had reached.”

Children at both St Sebastian's and at Arnot St Mary's have taken short Asset Languages tests for their Spanish listening, speaking and reading skills every March for the last three years. Last year, they added a short writing test too. Many of the children receive a certificate in all four skills, and every child receives a certificate in at least one of the tests. By taking the tests in March of Year 6, the learners' success can be marked during special assemblies before they leave primary school.

Sheila stated, “I think having a recognised level of achievement can help with children's transition to secondary schools. They will have a certificate to show their language teachers the level they have reached in each skill.”

Teresa Miller, Spanish co-ordinator at Arnot, acknowledges the hard work that is taking place on both sides to make transition as smooth as possible. “I send copies of the Asset certificates to secondary schools so they know exactly what every child has achieved. There are strong links between us and the secondaries now. For example, KS3 teachers from Hillside come to observe our lessons to find out what we are doing. As well as using Asset, we are trying out other initiatives such as the teaching of Maths and PE in Spanish which Hillside is going to adopt too, so there is lots of work going on to make transition smoother.”

St Sebastian's RC Primary School and Arnot St Mary C of E Primary School

Year 11 learners at Heckmondwike Grammar School in Kirklees who have already taken a language at GCSE have the chance to test their language abilities at a higher level by taking either Asset Intermediate or Advanced Stage exams.

As a specialist language college, all Heckmondwike's learners are fast-tracked through a GCSE in French, German or Spanish by the end of Year 10. Sue Morris, Heckmondwike's Head of Languages, offers her Year 11 learners a challenge and enters them for tests in listening and reading skills in the same languages in the May window. Some of the learners take Intermediate, while a handful take Advanced.

“The results were very good,” Sue declared. Some of the learners improved on their GCSE performance in those skills. “The smaller group of learners who entered Advanced Asset Languages exams for French and German reading skills all got top marks, which was excellent. What we liked about this way of assessing learners is that we were able to focus on specific skill areas and able to choose the context in which the language was taught ourselves, without the constraints of a particular exam specification.

These results really helped to boost confidence in studying languages and the numbers opting to take languages in the sixth form have gone up.”

Sue Morris, Head of Languages, Heckmondwike Grammar School

At Birley Community College near Sheffield, Asset was introduced, “to motivate middle-ability learners in Year 9, to challenge learners taking a language at KS4 and… to ensure that the vast majority of language learners received an accreditation in this subject to justify three years of language learning,” - according to Kerry Newman, Head of Languages.

Flexibility is key. As well as deciding which language skills to test, Kerry and her colleagues select which level of Asset test to enter each pupil for – Breakthrough or Preliminary – according to their performance with the Teacher Assessment Packs.

Over 80% of learners achieved the top grade at Preliminary.

Kerry concluded: “The Preliminary results are strong due to a consistent teaching approach and the fact that we constantly update our resources. We have conducted Asset tests for two years now. Learners find them straightforward and know what to do. The results met our expectations.”

Kerry Newman, Head of Languages, Birley Community College.

“The main point was to give the kids something positive at the end of KS3 to show for their efforts. They were very keen to know their results and nagged us constantly until we were able to tell them.” Jan Mochnacz, Deputy Head of Languages at Worle Community School in Weston-super-Mare puts all her Year 9 learners in for Asset tests in French. Half the year – nearly 150 learners – take Breakthrough for their listening and reading skills, while the other half take the same tests at Preliminary Stage.

“Ever since languages become optional in KS4, only a small proportion of learners continue with the subject to GCSE. One of the problems associated with this is that learners giving up languages at the end of Year 9 have nothing to show after three years of study. So we started to look for something to provide evidence of achievement. Asset seemed to fit the bill... Getting results with Asset works for those who are dropping languages and it motivates those who intend to carry on into KS4.”

Jan Mochnacz, Deputy Head of Languages at Worle Community School

Teachers are using Asset to reward the achievement of language learners during Year 9, in some cases inspiring them to carry on with the subject into the next key stage.

At King James I Community Arts College in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, French teacher Dawn Hale introduced Asset with its top set French group in Year 9, not only to increase motivation but “to improve uptake in languages in KS4.”

Dawn utilises the multiple testing windows and separate skills assessments available with the Asset scheme, and enters her learners for separate exams in the passive skills of reading and listening in the first two exam windows of the year, followed by speaking and writing exams in the later windows. “There is therefore more time for the learners to become more confident at actively producing the language at a later stage in the course.”

Like many teachers, Dawn makes minimal adjustments to prepare for Asset style assessments. “We incorporate more skills-based methods across topic areas and use some lessons to work on sample assessment materials.”

Results have exceeded expectations.

“60% of learners exceeded their target levels in French... Out of the 33 learners who took Asset Languages qualifications in Year 9, 22 opted to continue with a language in Year 10. This represented a 400% increase on the previous year. “

Dawn Hale, King James I Community Arts College

Chawki Nacef, teacher of Arabic and French at Oundle School in Peterborough agreed to answer a few questions about the use of Asset Languages in his school. The answers were very positive…

Which languages are taught at Oundle School?

We enter candidates for Asset Languages Arabic, Chinese and Russian. On top of that, we teach Latin, Greek, French, Spanish and German.

When did you first use Asset Languages?

We started in 2007. I was asked to assess pupils using a flexible and rewarding scheme of assessment. The idea was to encourage and enhance the language learning process in the school, rather than adding more stress to the busy life of the pupils. For Arabic we enter candidates mainly at Breakthrough stage; it’s a flexible way for them to start learning a new language, which is less daunting than other qualifications. Some pupils do progress on to Preliminary stage. Also, pupils who have taken French GCSE a year early can fill the gaps in their timetables by learning a new language, assessed by Asset.

What do your pupils like about Asset Languages?

It is ideal for mixed ability classes. Pupils can sit external exams according to their individual ability and level of confidence. The candidates get involved in what they are learning; I ask them to research learning methods and exercises that they feel comfortable with, resulting in a more relaxed programme of learning. Also, the school encourages pupils to be more adventurous with languages and less daunted by exams. We make use of the different testing windows throughout the year which maximises their achievement; they take the tests when they are ready, which can avoid too many exams being taken in June. Pupils find it rewarding to be tested according to their strengths and readiness for the exams. For example, they take listening and reading exams first as the multiple choice aspect of the tests are simple. When they feel more confident and have more understanding of the language, they sit the speaking and writing exams. This has always been a very good ‘selling point’ for the Arabic course.

Have you had to change your teaching as a result of using Asset Languages assessments?

It has been relatively easy to integrate the Asset Languages assessments into my teaching. Sometimes I tailor the lessons to specific topics and Asset Languages offer a number of very good exercises that challenge the pupils and channel their attention and learning. I make good use of the sample materials available on the website, translating those available in other languages into Arabic myself. I am also using teacher assessment to support external assessment, mainly at Breakthrough stage. In class, I use similar exam techniques to familiarise pupils with the format and type of questions used in the external exam papers. The outcome is a more confident pupil who is not afraid of the question itself but more focused on an ideal answer.

Will you continue with the Asset Languages scheme next year?

I am planning to continue using the Asset Languages scheme for the very good reasons mentioned before. The only difficulty I find is the absence of a suggested vocabulary list that the pupils can refer to for their revision and before exams. But, I take extra time to cover more vocabulary that may or may not get used in the exams. In my opinion, using Asset Languages becomes easier as we continue to use it. The more you use the scheme the better you become at refining and maximising the learning process and outcome. I would recommend Asset Languages to all teachers who teach a foreign language like Chinese or Arabic. This scheme enables both teachers and pupils to pace their learning and testing according to their progress throughout the year. The ability to ‘pick and mix’ the skills to be tested is a huge advantage. In this way, a mixed ability class is certain to learn and be assessed according to their individual needs and abilities.

Broadway School, Birmingham, is a school and Specialist Language College with an inclusive 'can do' attitude. Languages currently on the curriculum for these secondary school candidates are Urdu, Bengali, Spanish and French, but the school has a diverse enrichment provision to cater for learners of other languages spoken in the area. The school uses Asset Languages assessments for 9 languages, including Panjabi and Arabic.

Broadway School, Birmingham, is a school and Specialist Language College with an inclusive 'can do' attitude. Languages currently on the curriculum for these secondary school candidates are Urdu, Bengali, Spanish and French, but the school has a diverse enrichment provision to cater for learners of other languages spoken in the area. The school uses Asset Languages assessments for 9 languages, including Panjabi and Arabic.

“I implemented Asset in 2008 as part of our enrichment programme” explains Kali Basi, Assistant Head Teacher. “I felt that recognition should be given for their (students’) community language knowledge. Also, we had students who were studying at a supplementary school or Mosque, which did not have the provision to enter candidates.”

Broadway has extremely strong links with the local community, as Kali explains. “We have close links with a Somali community group that wanted to ensure their members were accredited for the language skills that they had. In return for us facilitating this, they supported us in enrichment time and we now have a Somali speaker who comes in to support our examination process.” Additional support also comes from within the school, Kali goes on to say. “With regards to non-curriculum subjects, like Panjabi, Gujarati and Hindi, we utilise staff from other curriculum areas to support speaking tests.”

The teachers at Broadway have found it easy to use Asset Languages assessments, integrating them into their own teaching. “We have used the strategies across all subjects; they lend themselves to assessment in languages and supplement the work and strategies we currently use.” Work is assessed by skill and students are able to strengthen areas that require development, thus allowing teachers to personalise their learning. This is aided by the use of language assistants who focus on small groups improving the required skill.

How does Kali think the Asset Languages assessments have helped learners at Broadway? “We could enter at stage, not age, and pupils would see that we valued their community language. Also, the pupils found it easier to take the assessment in parts, spreading them out across 2 years.” The school works with the pupils’ strengths and have found that this has improved attainment; candidates weren’t overwhelmed by all the exams at the end of year 11. Kali continues, “A lot of Urdu-speaking students want to be able to watch and understand the wide range of Hindi films that are available. Urdu and Hindi are quite close in content and structure, so this additional language learning has helped them achieve better understanding.”

Would Broadway recommend Asset Languages assessments to other schools? Kali replies, “To recognise languages learnt at home and to ensure all pupils are valued, I would recommend Asset. We are going to continue to use Asset with our enrichment programme and for those weaker candidates who are not following the EBac route.”

Does Kali have any final words? “Involving the community to support language assessment shows we care. I would urge any school that does not offer community languages on the curriculum to ensure that their students are accredited for the language skills that they possess.”

Val Boyle, University Teacher and Learning Resources Manager at Loughborough University explains how she has used Asset Languages as a tool for assessment.

At Loughborough University, the Extra-curricular Languages Programme offers 20 week courses over 2 semesters in 8 languages - Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish - at various levels. These courses are open to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff and the general public. Fees are payable, with different rates for each category.

Undergraduate students who want to include accredited languages modules as part of their degree may do so through our University-wide Language Programme, so the extra-curricular programme has always had more of a ‘leisure’ than an ‘academic’ bias, and classes are more like Adult Education provision than undergraduate modules.

It was clear when I became Manager of the Language Centre that most students were entirely happy with the relaxed atmosphere of the classes and not in the least interested in any form of assessment, external or internal. Indeed introducing any requirement to take tests might have scared students away. A small minority did, however, say that they would like the opportunity to gain some kind of accreditation for the courses they had taken.

Uptake that year was quite limited and I was pleased that there were just a few students to cope with the first time round as I was unsure what problems we might encounter, this being the first year Asset Languages had been in operation. In the event, the mechanics – online entry system, dispatch of papers, invigilation of tests, retrieval of marks etc – all went smoothly and all the students who turned up for the tests achieved a qualification. Students are not ‘coached’ for the tests and the policy remains that teachers are free to establish their own curriculum without reference to Asset Languages specifications. In practice it generally works out that students who have been learning with us for one year have covered enough to do well at Breakthrough Level, after two years at Preliminary Level and after three at Intermediate Level.

Over the years, Loughborough University has opened up the assessment scheme to more and more groups and interestingly the uptake has been highest in Chinese and Japanese. Students in all languages now have the option of taking exams in listening, reading and writing at Breakthrough, Preliminary, Intermediate or Advanced Level. In May 2011, 101 students were entered for exams, a big increase on the previous year. Motivation for taking the tests varies, particularly where staff and external candidates are concerned, but there is now no doubt that undergraduate and postgraduate students are increasingly recognising the value of having a qualification in a language to add to their CV. Asset Languages exams fit the bill perfectly in this respect. There is a lot of work involved in organising the delivery of the tests, but I have to say that it gives me a great sense of satisfaction to hand over certificates to successful candidates at the end of the year.

Rotherham College of Arts and Technology (RCAT) provides language courses for adult learners with ages ranging from 16 to over 80 supported by Asset Languages qualification from offering Breakthrough up to Advanced stages. Rosie Marriott, Deputy Curriculum Manager, said “We decided to change to Asset Languages because of the flexibility the programme offers. Asset covers all the languages and levels we provide and the fact that assessments may be completed in the daytime or evenings, within an assessment window, was a big advantage, as many of our classes are held in the evenings”. This year RCAT are running adult classes in French, Greek and Polish, and offer Spanish to full-time Travel and Tourism students.

Introducing Asset was relatively straightforward for the college, few changes were needed to the course content and no new resources were required. The tutors use “activities based on reading, writing, speaking and listening in lessons, with a good variety of tasks”. While the flexibility of exam windows means that exams are held in normal class time, suiting learners and tutors.

For some learners at the college, progression continues through Breakthrough, Preliminary, Intermediate and Advanced levels in French and Spanish. Most of our learners are beginners, working at Breakthrough stage.

Having the skills assessed separately is also a feature which works well, Rosie said “We encouraged our learners to take the Reading and Listening exams in the first year, though some existing learners chose to do the writing exam. We shall offer the Speaking exam next year for some of our students”.

Rosie continued ”the majority of learners responded positively to the more formal assessment of our courses; some feel that an exam gives a qualification more credibility and they looked on the experience as a positive challenge”. Despite many of RCATs learners not having taken an exam for many years and some feeling “a little apprehensive at first”, the college and learners were rewarded with 100% pass rate, 89% of whom gained the highest grade for their level. “Over 150 learners took the exams in 2009-10 and they and their tutors were rightly proud of their achievements”. “Our exam results accurately reflected the levels at which our learners were working. In this way, the Asset Languages assessments appear to be working well”.

Since changes to the LSC funding for adult courses the college now offers languages courses to adults at fullcost. While this may impact on the number of learners, feedback from the 2009/10 classes found 97% would recommend their course to their friends with comments such as ‘a great experience’. “We would definitely recommend Asset Languages, the programme is very flexible and the support for new centres is very good indeed”.

The Centre for Foreign Language Study at Durham University, School for Modern Languages and Cultures has been involved with Asset Languages since 2005/6. Originally, the university contributed to a forum about setting up the scheme, then participated in trialling and now offers a choice of 9 – 14 languages each year. Through the university’s Languages-for-All programme, they have entered more than 1200 students, business professionals and members of the public for Asset qualifications. Christine Bohlander, Teaching Fellow for German and External Exams Coordinator agreed to share the university’s experiences and successes of Asset Languages. “Asset covers a wide range of languages and meets the students’ individual needs. This is not only true for schools, but particularly for the variety of language learners on Languages-for-All programmes: students, staff, and members of the public.”

Why does Durham University offer Asset Languages?
Asset offers standardised exams in all the languages we teach. We appreciate the flexibility of the pick and mix approach regarding the four skills and the different testing windows. Students often find it important to have a nationally recognised certificate which they can include in their CV. We also have customers from businesses that pay for the language class and want to see official results. Some members of the public also find it rewarding to get proof of their efforts over the year. Another factor is that Asset Languages exams are affordable for many students.

How easy is it to use Asset Languages?
We have many different teachers for our Languages-for-All programme. We train new teachers in conducting the speaking exams and the content and grammar topics that need to be covered in class. The latter does not constitute a big challenge as long as the teachers are aware of the respective specifications at the start of the academic year. The biggest challenge is the organisation of the speaking exams with so many different languages and teachers, but relatively few students per language.

Will you continue with the Asset Languages scheme in the same way this year as previous years?
We are planning to use Asset Languages in the same way as we see it as part of our customer service to the language students. Students are normally able to take the exam in all the four skills after one year of teaching, even in languages such as Mandarin, Japanese and Arabic. This is very encouraging and proves that these ‘more difficult’ languages are manageable. With European languages, some students successfully take the preliminary exams at the end of their first year. The majority of students value the possibility of taking an external exam: “it's to help me push myself forward and keep practising to refresh and test my knowledge and because if I am sitting an exam this gives me more reason to revise etc.” commented an Arabic learner. Students are often surprised by how well they have done in the exams.

Would you recommend Asset Languages to other universities?
I would recommend Asset Languages to other universities if they have the administrative resources to organise the exams. It is a sign of quality assurance if an HEI can offer externally accredited exams to a wider public that are comparable to the traditional exams such as GCSE, etc. The Asset Languages scheme is becoming more and more known in the UK and is an asset on a CV with regard to employability.

Over 24 different languages, including at least five different versions of Arabic (Moroccan, Algerian, Yemini, Palestinian, Iraqi) are spoken at Laygate Community School in South Shields, in South Tyneside. The school serves a vibrant multi-lingual community where some children speak up to five languages each.

With the support of the school’s headteacher, EAL teachers, the local EMTRAS team and Primary Language Adviser Jane Dawson, Asset Languages is being used to recognise the language skills of a wide age range of pupils within the school. Asset’s range of languages and choice of skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) gives the teacher flexibility to find the most appropriate way to incentivise and reward each young learner.

The results of Breakthrough and Preliminary tests taken last summer were impressive. The school used Asset Language tests in six languages: Arabic, Bengali, Hindi, Panjabi, Polish and Urdu to reward the skills of 32 of the younger pupils aged 5-11. 100% of children got the top grade 3 in Breakthrough Arabic and Urdu listening, and in Panjabi, Polish and Hindi reading and writing skills.

The 25 children who took Asset’s Preliminary tests across the same six languages achieved a 100% pass rate. Although the young learners varied in age from seven to eleven, 84% achieved the top grade (Grade 6), which is equivalent in level to a Foundation Level GCSE. One Year 6 pupil, eleven year old, Izaan Khaan, achieved Grade 6 in his Urdu Preliminary listening, speaking and reading tests. One Year 2 child attained Grade 6 in Polish speaking and listening tests, and Breakthrough Grade 3 in Polish reading and writing, a significant achievement for a seven year old.

To mark their success, the school held a special assembly for parents, where the certificates were given out and the children were congratulated on their achievement. The pupils were delighted to receive their Asset certificates.

Paul Rafferty, Laygate Headteacher, said: “It is important for the whole school community to recognise the linguistic abilities some of our children have and for that success to be celebrated by parents and staff. It is also an opportunity for the children themselves to have their language skills recognised and their achievements applauded.”

In October 2011 Asset Languages was invited to an event organised by the Modern Greek Chief Examiner and senior examining team. The venue and refreshments were kindly donated by the Cypriot Brotherhood in Barnet, with advertisements being run in the Cypriot Greek newspaper ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ (freedom/liberty) for several weeks prior to the event.

The event was well attended by local teachers, head teachers and other representatives from the Greek-Cypriot community. Emma Savoian, Qualifications Team Manager for Asset Languages, said ‘the team had been keen to organise the event for some time, and it was pleasing to have so many from the Greek-Cypriot community attend.’

Emma and Chloe Tarrant-Brown, Qualifications Manager gave presentations with the aim of highlighting Asset Languages as an alternative to GCSE and GCE, explaining how to use Teacher Assessment and how speaking assessments work. The ‘bite-sized’ presentations allowed delegates the opportunity to ask questions, while each presentation included activities based around the ‘Can-do’ statements, Teacher Assessment and conducting Speaking tests. Emma concluded ‘it was a pleasure to have such enthusiasm and participation from those who attended.’

‘Events organised by local communities are beneficial to all who attend and to the Asset representatives. They not only provide information about what is available, but also the opportunity to network, share information and resources. For the Asset team it is always rewarding to meet those using our qualifications.’

The Moat Community College in Leicester has been using Asset Languages Gujarati assessments for external and teacher assessment since attending an Inset course back in 2009. The college have to date entered more than 250 students from Years 7, 8 and 9 for Breakthrough, Preliminary and Intermediate External Assessments for Gujarati, and some candidates for Somali. Vasanti Mistry, the college’s Gujarati Language teacher, said that students are entered ‘so that they can have something to show (a nationally recognised certificate) for 3 years of studying’ and as preparation for GCSE Gujarati.

The college uses Asset languages as it provides students with a national certificate at the end of key stage 3, the assessments fit with the National Qualifications Framework and, according to Vasanti ‘students can work on different skills and stages allowing students to choose their exam according to their ability so they can get higher qualifications for their best skills’. Vasanti’s students find speaking and listening easier as it is their mother-tongue. The script and alphabet are very different so writing is considered the hardest skill to master – the strongest students will progress to Intermediate Writing.

The college enters students for all 4 skills in the June testing window as it is easier to fit the assessment into the school timetable during the traditional exam period, Vasanti believes it ensures students are fully prepared.

As well as the assessment being integrated into the college’s exam timetable, Vasanti said ‘due to my experience of teaching it has been easy to adopt the Asset Language assessments’ as ‘it fitted very nicely with my teaching’. Vasanti has created schemes of work and lesson plans, while using, adapting and translating the samples available from the website (English, Gujarati, French and Spanish) with her learners. This has been beneficial; ‘students are achieving excellent grades in all 3 stages’. Teacher Assessment packs are also used to support learning and assess progress as it ‘helps the teacher and student to know their ability, so improvements can be made.’

The use of Asset Languages at Moat Community College will continue next year in the same way as this, as the results have been encouraging and feedback from the students has been very positive; ‘I was really surprised to get such a high grade’ and ‘I was so proud of my grade’. Vasanti said, ‘Asset Languages has motivated students and given them the energy to do exams’.

At Wyvil Primary School in Lambeth, South London, nearly 50% of learners are from local Portuguese-speaking families. The school provides after-school classes in Portuguese. Wyvil was the first primary school to use Asset Languages to provide formal assessment of the Portuguese skills of its learners when it entered a group of Year 6 children for Preliminary  tests in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

After its success with Portuguese, the school has now extended its use of Asset Languages. Last year, alongside Portuguese, children with skills in Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Spanish, Urdu and Yoruba, were all externally assessed.

Jessica Burke-Peters, Acting Deputy Headteacher says, “We want our children to view their linguistic skills positively. Formal accreditation helps to re-enforce this and provides evidence for local secondary schools on their new intake. To decide what level of tests to take, we practised the teacher assessment material that Asset produces in our after-school classes. As our children are confident, especially in speaking, we decided to enter 20 children for speaking tests at Preliminary stage, the second level of ability. By taking tests in March of their final year, the Year 6 children received their results before they left. We present the tests as fun and the Year 6 children were proud to be the focus of attention. The results were excellent and the children enjoyed the assessment process.”

Jessica Burke-Peters, Acting Deputy Headteacher, Wyvil Primary School in Lambeth

At Moseley School, Asset is used to support the teaching of Urdu for learners in Year 11. Approximately 75% of its intake are Pakistani-heritage learners and Urdu is one of the main languages spoken. The school is at the hub of community language teaching in the area and has forged strong links with other local schools and mosques.

Ute Offerman, Language College Director at Moseley, believes that community languages have equal status to other languages they offer at the school. She explained:

“For our learners and their parents, it is very important that we appreciate their home language. It's part of confidence building and self esteem. We've been very keen to give children an accreditation in all the languages they do here. With Urdu and Arabic, we've been using Asset Languages and it's been very successful. We want all learners to leave with qualifications at whatever level they are and we would like learners to apply for jobs and college places showing all their assets.”

For Year 11 learners who are not going to take a GCSE in Urdu, an Asset qualification is an accessible alternative. Unlike a GCSE, the choice of which skills to assess under the Asset scheme means that the learners' listening and speaking skills in Urdu can be recognised.

“I would always make sure that the learner is ready to do a test, so it's really a can do test, not something where they can fail.” Ute continued, “It rewards progress and skills. If a school wants to introduce Asset, I would suggest starting with one level – whether it's Breakthrough or Preliminary – and one language and move up from there.”

What do the learners think about Asset? One year 11 learner commented, “I felt proud. I am pleased because we are planning to go to Pakistan next year. I didn't know much Urdu when I went before and everyone looked at me like an outsider. Now I've done Urdu and got a qualification in it, so when I go back, I'll fit in easier.”

Ute Offerman, Language College Director at Moseley School

The Chinese School in Milton Keynes serves a Chinese community of approximately 10,000. Part of the centre's remit is to offer language classes for young people from the ages of 5 up to 18. The languages taught are Mandarin, Cantonese and simplified and traditional forms of Chinese writing.

School Chairman, Chor Leong, explained how Asset tests support the language teaching. “During 11 years of studying Chinese, the only recognised qualification available before Asset was GCSE. Some of our learners may move on and not take a GCSE which is a pity if they have been learning a language for many years but have no formal qualification to prove it.”

“Asset not only encourages learners to study continuously but it builds up confidence through a manageable award structure. For the time being, we use the class years to match the level of Asset Languages; Year 3 equates to the end of Breakthrough Stage, Year 6 for Preliminary and Year 9 for Intermediate. Cantonese and Mandarin are taught in separate classes to different learners.”

Chor Leong, School Chairman, Milton Keynes Chinese School and Community Centre