Tell them that the introduction of EBACC will mean more MFL students at GCSE in the future  (and thus more potential A level candidates) and A level should be retained so that the importance of the subject is reinforced..

 Removing A level MFL whilst at the same time persuading Yr9 pupils that MFL is important is contradictory.

The thing that has kept our A level languages running with low numbers is the fact that as staff we would become deskilled if we stop teaching A level. I wouldn't have thought SLT would place so much importance on that, but it's swung the argument in our favour several times in the past.

Sadly, 3 students isn't enough to run an A level course in any school these days. At a previous school I taught A level French after school with 4 students because the school would not run a course for 4 students. To SLTs in most schools I've worked at, MFL is just not seen as important.

I would suggest that 10% of the year group cohort is quite a success.  I would be interested to know what percentage other schools have, as this is probably a better guide than class size alone. 

Three in my class:)

I have just 2 in my 6.1 - we started the year with 3, but one dropped out in October. 

I support a previous poster's argument that as long as you have someone to teach, you should continue teaching it to avoid becoming deskilled in teaching at KS5 level.  You may end up having 10 people interested the following year but if you have lost a year's experience of teaching at A level then it will not be to anyone's advantage. 

A couple of things: it is worth emphasising the point that the school is going to lose 10 per cent of its year 12 students next year which raises further questions: can the school afford to lose the income that these students generate by being on you roll? What will be the impAct in other subjects if these three students leave? Will it mean that other subjects don't run? If this is the case the school is at risk of a domino effect and ultimately not having a sixth form at all. Word travels fast with such matters in the local community and parents may choose not to send their child to the school in Year 7. Either the school is serious about having a sixth form or it's not! Secondly, is there any chance if sharing the A level teaching in a consortium of schools , perhaps with just one other school. It may well be possible to come to some sort of agreement where they are taught as two or more schools for some aspects of the spec and in their own school for other aspects. If this isn't possible and you really are up against a brick wall, you know that the only way you can teach a level is to find another job in a school where languages ARE valued. One final point: a test if the slt's emotional intelligence would be to ask them: how they would feel if it was their son or daughter that was told they couldn't do a subject at A level, a subject that was essential to their chosen career etc . Additionally if you hearteacher is a history teacher how would he feel if he had been told he couldnt do it himself? And when he/she turns round and gives the glib answer: I would mine to another school or I would get the books and teach mysel the spec, you can respond by saying that unfortunately it is significantly more difficult to teach yourself a language than history! I hope this helps! Out if interest what subjects are being allowed to run?

I had a timetable planning meeting with my deputy head yesterday and have been told that where AS and A2 classes fall below 6 students the number of teaching hours will be cut fro 9 to 7 per fortnight. The remaining two periods will be independent study.

This affects 4 of the 6  AS/A2 classes which we have timetabled next year.I've raised all the obvious arguments against the proposal but I feel we will have no option but to accept the decision otherwise the classes won't run at all - it all comes down to money.

Is there a precedent for this in other schools? What has been the impact on results? How have students and parents reacted?

[edited by: l_p_a at 8:54 (GMT 0) on 28-4-2012]

All of our 6th form lessons have been decreased to 8 a fortnight. However, I have taken a decision to offer an extra hour a week of my own time for 'conversation'. I guess this would usually be fulfilled by a FLA.

Well ... I almost hesitate to post this ... At my school (small, independent, girls) we have dropped from nearly 35% of pupils going into 6 form doing one or more languages to, wait for it , only 1 wanting to do it (but another is biting the cherry as I speak). The Head's take on it to the governors was: - we offered this in the prospectus and never said it would not run with small numbers. - we could teach reduced hours but is it good to have year 12s with too much time on their hands? - what message does this send out about the subject? - If we don't teach it one year staff will lose their skills. - if they can't do this subject here they might go elsewhere( bums on seats argument) To my joy this was accepted. I can only say that we saw the drop occur once Controlled Assessment brought in. Can't say whether it is connected but I am thinking that it could be. I am very saddened by this decline, especially as we bucked the trend of perplexing results.; in fact we got very good results (and our pupils are not highly selected: however they work and we give them what I like to call a good grounding earlier on so that the cross between GCE and A level is not as bad as it could be). I am hopeful that the next cohort will be more positive. All the best in your argumentation Julia Whyte

[edited by: jwhyte at 12:48 (GMT 0) on 28-4-2012]

 At our place, if numbers fall below three then teaching periods are reduced from 8 to 6. We are a private school and can't afford to refuse a subject to run, even if there's just one student wanting to take it, so I think this is a good compromise. Vice-versa, you'd hope that for bigger groups (14 in my AS next year!) you'd be allowed extra teaching time, but not so.

They wouldm't ru it for us last year with 6.

This year 3 want to continue, so I guess it won't be happening.

And then they wonder why applications for language degrees are falling! We will be offering ab initio French degrees before long.

Excuse the typos on my message

One short-term solution may be to run AS and A2 in the same lesson.  It's far from perfect but it may buy you some time to build up numbers.  There's a thread on this at

http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/542608.aspx#7194116

parkykeeper

Out if interest what subjects are being allowed to run?

 

Public Services, Media, Psychology, Sport, History (although i know the MFL students were taking history too, so that will have an impact). I have to admit, it just seems like they don't care about keeping the top end students. Thank you for all your good points...I am building my case.

Larger groups in the subjects you quote bring bums onto those seats, and that's why you won't get any sympathy from your colleagues who have more students in one teaching group than MFL has in total across two levels and maybe three languages.  Nor will SMT care if six French students walk away when there dozens staying to do that academically challenging array of subjects, with the obvious exception of history .   However, a school that doesn't offer breadth of curriculum at A level doesn't always look too appealing to the outside world.

[edited by: Siegen81to82 at 21:49 (GMT 0) on 28-4-2012]

 Out of 28 German learners in year 11, 4 chose German AS, plus 2 'maybe's', plus 3 from the girls' school next door (all of whom SLT discounted, with the argument 'well, they might not turn up'). French was also chosen by 4 students. Therefore they decided to run French AS but not German ('We can't afford both').

The day after the letters were sent home, all four sets of parents requested a meeting with the Headteacher. A few days later the money was found to fund German AS. 

 

 

musiclover1

The day after the letters were sent home, all four sets of parents requested a meeting with the Headteacher. A few days later the money was found to fund German AS. 

Sheer coincidence!!  Well done.  Have sent you a PM.

[edited by: Siegen81to82 at 23:18 (GMT 0) on 28-4-2012]