PROGRAMMES OF STUDY

Introduction

The Programmes of Study described in this section are designed to assist schools in reviewing their practices, in planning and implementing their own detailed policies for language, and in evaluating these in relation to the attainment targets and accepted good practice. A school's policy will also take account of the particular educational, social and personal needs of its pupils, and will involve varying degrees of co-operation and consultation: between colleagues within the school; between primary and secondary schools; with parents; and with the advisory and other professional services.

The following advice on programmes of study will be of particular relevance to senior promoted staff involved in the formulation of school policy. In secondary schools, this policy on language will be put into effect by individual departments, especially the department of English, and for that reason it will be important for schools to develop coherent and effective inter-departmental policies on matters such as:

functional writing;

spelling, handwriting and presentation;

reading for information;

listening for information;

group work that involves listening and talking.

This section should also be read in its entirety by all those involved in the teaching of language from P1 to S2, a unitary process with similar approaches across the age range. This is important for two reasons: firstly, to ensure progression, balance and a consistency of approach and content at different ages and stages; and secondly, to accommodate the varieties of needs and the spread of ability likely to be encountered in any one class.

The programmes of study are closely based on the attainment targets and on the outcomes identified in the rationale. To attain these targets, teaching and learning in the classroom will involve pupils in a broader range of language activities than the targets indicate. Similarly, in the day-to-day practice of the classroom no clear separation can be made between the four outcomes. For these reasons, the programmes described here offer only general guidance; they cannot identify all the possible approaches to be followed and suggest only a few of the available options.

This section sets out accounts of:

principles for the construction of a school's Language programme;

contexts for learning and teaching;

relevant content and learning and teaching approaches.