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St Roch's High School

French for Work Purposes

The following is based on St Roch's Action Research Project application for funding.

St Roch's is a Roman Catholic Secondary school serving the north of Glasgow. It has a school population which reflects the cultural and ethnic diversity of Glasgow.

French for Work Purposes (Access 3) is a free-standing Unit which has been designed to be delivered in any vocational context relevant to candidates. The Unit is suitable for learners who have a vocational interest in a specific language but who have not previously studied that language.

The target group at St Roch's is S4 pupils who are neither enthusiastic about learning in general, nor language learning in particular. The aim is to create a new course, with short units and varied and imaginative assessment benchmarks, which will awaken the pupils' confidence in their own abilities and help them to engage in the learning process with enthusiasm so that they will have confidence in their own abilities to find and keep a job in a 'border-free' Europe.

There will be a number of visits to work environments. Guest speakers will lead workshops on self-efficacy and careers, and we aim to set up links with vocational establishments in Marseilles.

By the end of the project we expect:

pupil confidence to be increased — measured through better attendance and participation, and feedback from Pastoral Care Heads
new documentation for the course
alternative approaches to assessment and course delivery
resources, such as software packages and course booklets prepared and revised with pupil input
successful completion by the pupils of French for Work Purposes — Access 3

The following video provides an overview of St Roch's High School's Action Research Project:

Donald Bell, Regional Director of Halcrow, who worked with St Roch's said:

"As a global infrastructure consultancy Halcrow's purpose is to sustain and improve the quality of people's lives. We have been delighted to work with St Roch's and its learning community over the past few years and together we have built a strong mutual partnership. I am delighted to say it has become part of "who we are" in Glasgow and our staff identify with this long-term link.

"We are a responsible, employee-owned business and we have a long-term interest in the success of Scotland's young people. As with any business decision in the current economic environment, we need to balance the costs with the benefits. By working closely with a partner school community we can target our input to achieve the maximum benefit for the schools within our limited budget for staff input. Our staff gain skills development from working with the community, so we gain as well. "

Visit Halcrow's website to see more about their involvement in this action research project.