Feedback received from teachers via email
Hi Tim,
Just a brief email to let you know that our GCSE uptake definitely seems on the rise & after our parents' evening a couple of weeks ago, the feedback from both parents and pupils was outstanding and quite a few pupils told me that the day you spent with us had a massive impact on them. As always, the time you spent with us proved priceless!
Merci beaucoup mon ami & all the best!
David Barbeau (April 2023)
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We thoroughly enjoyed welcoming back Tim to Caerleon's International Languages Department. We discussed beforehand what the department wanted out of his visit and Tim took on board our suggestions and requirements. So that we could target a range of year groups, Tim very kindly offered to stay the whole day and led various presentations and workshops with different classes (based on my choices).
I think the highlight for me was the joint workshop with Year 11 Business Studies and Year 11 German. It was such a great 'discussion' and Tim really inspired so many of our learners. The Business Studies teacher also commented positively on the session as Tim really showed our learners his charismatic, hardworking and dedicated ethos to business, whilst also sharing his passion for languages.
He is so keen to get out to Welsh schools and help us with the plight of MFL in Welsh schools that we are all currently suffering from. Thank you for your time Tim and we look forward to welcoming you back next year!
Alison Mcleod (April 2023)
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Dear Tim, Thank-you so much for coming in to see Year 9 on Thursday. As always, your talks really opened the pupils' eyes to their global futures and the messages were well-received. As a follow up with every Year 9 class we have spoken about your input, they have discussed it in groups, written about what they have learnt and we have also watched the very useful clips. Some pupils were very insistent that I should put a sign with the International Department up on the door and I must also put up some posters of les pays francophones!
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Dear Tim, Thank you so much for the lovely email below, and for the talks you gave to our year 7s and especially the year 9s! Quite a few of them have made a point of popping in to see me in their breaks to mention that they are now thinking of doing French. My “definites” found the talks interesting too.
I think the messages are very powerful when they come from “the real world”, so to speak, and your delivery is very enthusiastic. Thank you also for the links and ideas to move on.
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Just wanted to let you know how grateful we were to you for taking the time to visit our school. I absolutely loved listening to you talk to the pupils and I am convinced that it has had a positive effect on their perceptions of studying a language.
We have an option evening tonight and I will be using some of your ideas to discuss with parents. I was particularly taken with how you tell the pupils that they are creating their own brand and it should be an international brand. I intend to lead with this thought!
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Just wanted to let you know that I have bounced into school today still on a high from last night's option evening What a success!
My colleagues and senior management were commenting on how busy we were and that we had the biggest queue of parents and pupils waiting to sign up for French in year 10. We were certainly the centre of attention. I led with one of Tim's key points that each and every pupil is born a brand and they need to build and develop that brand in order to succeed in life.
My colleague, has been really pushing GCSE in year 9 with various strategies and I am sure that this is starting to pay off. I am also convinced that Tim's visit to our school recently has had a huge impact on raising the profile of languages.
So a big 'thank you' for organising the visit from Tim.
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The last time we talked, you asked me to let you know how much of an impact your talk to our Y9 pupils had on our options. I have just been given lists of names for next year and I can tell you that you have been very influential!!! We will have 2 classes in Y10 in September : 1 in French (21 pupils) and 1 in Spanish (9 pupils). This current year, we also have 2 groups (22 + 10) both in French which is also very good if we compare this to previous years (current Y11: 12 pupils in total / last year's Y11: 14 pupils).
So over the last 2 years when you have come to talk to our pupils, we have doubled our numbers! Very importantly too we have now diversified by having 2 languages. We are thrilled! It might not only be down to you as we have also pushed in other ways, but one thing is certain is that your talks have definitely had a massive impact and been the most influential of all the projects we have introduced! So merci mille fois Tim.
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We would like you to visit school and talk to our MFL learners again about the importance of languages in the world of work.
We had a very good response to your talk last year and we actually improved our option uptake by 100% in both French and German. We do think that what you said to them planted a seed which grew in the right direction for us!!
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We are thrilled with the uptake this year- I don't have the exact numbers but think it's about twice what we had last year. I think your visit early before the options made a big difference.
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Just wanted to thank you again for coming to speak to our Year 9. It was very inspiring and I am sure that it will have the positive effect intended. I was amazed at how the children listened to you intently and participated actively. We are very grateful that you took the time to come to us.
