Footscray Primary School has a proud history of language learning. In 2021, we will introduce an Italian bilingual immersion program grounded in evidence of best practice for our incoming Foundation students (and possibly 2021 Year 1 students TBC).

We will also be enhancing our Vietnamese language learning program to provide a high-quality language learning experience for every child at Footscray Primary School. This framework is the beginning of our journey and will be strengthened by our students, our staff, and our community as we move forward together.

Vietnamese Language Learning 2021

Current students at FPS will continue to learn Vietnamese for two hours each week. One of these sessions will be pure language learning and the second will combine language and content learning through an innovative dual teaching approach with another specialist area. This teaching approach is well-evidenced and known as Content and Language Integrated Learning.

Italian Bilingual Program 2021 

100% of 2021 Foundation students will learn 50% of their curriculum in Italian and 50% in English. Students will have two teachers and two classrooms – one for speaking, listening and learning in English, and one of speaking, listening and learning in Italian. 

To learn more about teaching approaches to language learning you can visit the Department of Education and Training's website.

Community Meeting

Thank you to all those who attended our community meeting in May. Please find the presentation slides via the link below.

Community Meeting Slides

Vietnamese Language Program – Fact Sheet

• Vietnamese is offered by the Victorian School of Languages (VSL) and accredited community language schools (CLS). In 2020, Vietnamese is being delivered at 21 accredited CSL campuses across the state including at Footscray Primary School.
• In 2019, there were four government primary schools and six government secondary schools providing a Vietnamese language program in Victoria.
• In 2021, Vietnamese language learning will be offered at Footscray Primary School as a high quality language education program 2 hours a week for Years 2 – 6 through a 1 hour language lesson and an hour of content and language integrated learning (e.g. Arts, Music or PE). Planning is underway to create strong connections between the Italian bilingual program and the Vietnamese language program.
• The bilingual program at Footscray Primary School is not a mother tongue maintenance program. It is a program that should deliver academic and content-based outcomes as well as language and culture to all students, regardless of which language they speak at home.
• The eligibility criteria of the Department’s Designated Bilingual Program has minimum requirements around instruction time in the target language (minimum of 7.5 hours up to a maximum of 12.5 hours) and numbers of students participating.
• Due to persistent recruitment issues, Footscray Primary School has only been able to deliver between 3 - 5 hours per week of Vietnamese language learning. The ability to find casual relief teachers qualified to teach Vietnamese has also been an ongoing issue.
• Vietnamese is not offered in Victorian universities. This has contributed to difficulties recruiting VIT registered teachers with a Vietnamese language qualification which requires a three-year major in the language, or a Statement of Equivalence (for language proficiency at Third Year exit level) from a Victorian university which teaches the language.
• In 2018, there were 16 qualified Vietnamese language teachers in Victorian government schools. [1]
• In 2018, there were 337 qualified Italian language teachers in Victorian government schools.
• The Vietnamese bilingual program has been given significant time, resourcing and funding, from both the school and the Department of Education and Training and has not been successfully sustained, placing significant strain on operations and finances, despite extensive efforts.
• The bilingual program has not achieved the educational or language outcomes expected for Footscray Primary School students due to ongoing operational challenges. Other bilingual programs in the Designated Bilingual Program, are running fully staffed programs with students graduating at Year 6 with Year 9/10 level language proficiency.
• Footscray Primary School will continue to support the Vietnamese community language school held at the school on Saturday mornings and is committed to the school’s ongoing participation in the sister school exchange with Phước Tiến PS in Nha Trang.
• The new Vietnamese language program will be developed collaboratively by the school’s Vietnamese teaching team and senior leadership in line with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority guidelines.
• Vietnamese community members and the Vietnamese Teachers Association will be invited to provide feedback on the language program to ensure that it will be of the highest quality and reflects the needs of the Footscray Vietnamese community.

DECISION PROCESS

[1] Languages Provision in Victorian Government Schools, 2018 https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/languages/eduState-languages-provision-report-2018.pdf p50