Modern foreign language lessons are to be compulsory for the first time in England's primary schools.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson backs the recommendation of a review by Lord Dearing that all children should learn a language from the age of seven.

This should happen by 2010, as part of the next curriculum overhaul.

"I want languages to be at the heart of learning," Mr Johnson said.

"The earlier you start learning a language the better. Making language study compulsory from 7 to 14 will give pupils seven years to build up their knowledge, confidence and experience."

By that time, he hopes they will have built up "a critical mass of knowledge" and a love of languages.

"The rest of Europe is starting at seven, it's about time we did".

Studying a language could become compulsory for all primary school pupils in England, following a review by government adviser Lord Dearing.

Announcing his interim findings he said: "For languages: the earlier the better".

Education Secretary Alan Johnson, who commissioned the review, said: "The younger they start learning a language the easier it can become, which is why we want every Key Stage 2 pupil in the country to have the opportunity to study a foreign language by 2010."

At Ole Parent and Toddler Group we support the National Curriculum and children ratios established by Ofsted. We are also Ofsted registered and all our teachers are CRB checked with the relevant experience. Children will learn invaluable skills that will be useful in Nurseries an primary schools when they join.

UP TO 2 YEARS OLD

This is the perfect time to introduce children to the Spanish Language. Our sessions are designed to expose toddlers to Spanish music, nursery rhymes, puppets to dramatize stories, etc… As parent we expect you to learn the nursery rhymes in both English and Spanish and sing them to your baby.

2 TO 4 YEARS OLD

At this age your child is learning how to talk and is able to start putting sentences together. This class is structured following the in such a way that learning happens naturally in a fun environment. Storytelling engages children's interest and triggers their imagination, movement and arts and crafts encourages them to be hands-on and they do not realize that are learning . They learn Spanish as part of their learning process to talk, which can make them bi-lingual. At this age children can join our Ole Bilingual Day Nursery for longer sessions, where provision of care is our main purpose with the value added of learning both English and Spanish as bilingual

WHAT OUR CLASSES ARE LIKE ? WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT ON THE FIRST DAY?

On the first day we all go through a welcoming exercise to get to know each other and our children. At first its normal if your child does not want to join, remember it's a new environment and they will need time to settle before they are willing to participate and join our fun activities. We have a combination of activities where chidren are exposed to the language in a very natural environment. We have songs, puppets, dramatized story telling, etc…. We run the sessions with a maximum of 10 children to maximize quality teaching and personal attention.

WHAT INPUT DO WE EXPECT FROM YOU AS A PARENT?

We will need to you to join for the whole session. Once you have decided to do a trial session your mind set is already tuned to give your child this fantastic opportunity. However patience and determination is required as an investment for your child's future. This is the initial process for your child to start getting familiar with the Spanish sounds. This is what we suggest you do to support your child, before you come in and during the class, to help him/her settle and enjoy:

BEFORE YOU COME TO THE SESSION

Talk to your child throughout the week about how fun the activities are. Show an interest yourself. Your child will mirror you.
Practice Spanish with your child in everyday situations (in the car, at home, on the way to school, supermarket….) We will give you handout and expect you to learn the words and nursery rhymes at the sessions so you can practice with your child.
Please attend class on time.
Explain what you are going to do in the class and offer them a prize for good behaviour

DURING THE SESSION

Do encourage your child to take an active part in class, interacting and participating
Bring along your child's favorite toy to help you calm your child in case of distress, especially in the first couple of sessions.
Encourage your child to remain seated during class. If he/she keeps getting up it is your responsibility to make e effort to sit them down. In a class situation, children tend to be more receptive to parents that they are to teachers.
Help your child repeat words thereby building up their confidence.
Please make sure you do not distract your child by chatting to other parents during the class. You are learning too, ...

FEES AND TERMS OF ENROLMENT

If you would like to try a session before committing to the whole term, you may do a trial session at £4 per hour/session. If your child then enjoys it, your term fees are payable in advanced on a quarterly basis at £4 per hour/session plus a one off £10 registration fee. The average quarter has 12 weeks per calendar term.

Payment is made per term in advance by cash, cheque, credit or debit card.
Siblings receive 10% discount.

Once you have decided to enrol you will need to fill in a registration form for insurance and safety purposes, detailing any medical condition such as allergies, special diets, etc. that your child may have

Books and CDs can be purchased for your own use at home if you wish

WHAT TO DO NEXT?

If you would like your child to be part of it, please fill in the form and pay your fee by the established deadline, via any of the methods listed here.

Ideally sessions should be booked in blocks of 1 week or 2 weeks to achieve better results through immersion learning, however flexibility is available around dates

GROUP	DAY	TIME	LOCATION	AREA
Preschoolers 2 to 4 years old	Monday
	Tuesday
	Wednesday
	Thursday
	Friday
	Saturday
Parents and Toddler up to 2 years old	Monday
	Tuesday
	Wednesday
	Thursday
	Friday
	Saturday