CURRICULUM
Curriculum specialising in Modern European Languages and Science
The Europa School UK will be a 2 form entry 4-19 school, serving an area centred on Oxford and Abingdon, specialising in Modern European Languages and Science, with a particular emphasis on the teaching of a significant proportion of the curriculum through the medium of two or more European languages.
The driving vision for the school will be for every pupil to develop a deep understanding and enjoyment of all learning, particularly the sciences, and to graduate fluent and literate in at least 2 - probably 3, possibly more – languages, fully-prepared for a future where language skills and a global perspective will enhance job prospects and enable a richer cultural life.
Underpinning this vision is our passionate belief in the educational and economic benefits of multi-lingual, multi-cultural education and a desire to respond to the growing demand for a school of this kind from many families living and working in the Oxford area.
That demand exists across a wide range of families can be evidenced in a number of ways, including:
- The 50 parents who made the proposed Culham European Academy their first preference, which - though the proposal eventually did not go ahead - shared many of the features of our proposed Free School. The 736 pupils currently enrolled at the European School, Culham – which currently meets the needs of a portion only of the many families who value multi-lingual education and which is, in any case, already part way through a phased closure programme leading to full closure in 2017. Our register of interest is growing fast and with more expected to come forward from local pre-schools
- All pupils, from entry into the school, will learn and be taught in at least two languages, following a bilingual timetable where some subjects will be taught in one language and others in a second or third language. In order to ensure staffing costs remain affordable – bearing in mind that ensuring an appropriate match of staff to teaching will present more challenges than would be the case for a school of similar size offering a more conventional curriculum – the school will operate to a relatively flat management structure on the teaching side, whilst seeking to fully use the principles of workforce reform by having an extended role for support staff.
The school will also be determinedly-proactive in pursuit of additional sources of funding, such as we already know to be available across the European Union.
With respect to the range and type of the students, we very much want to see the school in the vanguard of the drive to raise aspirations and transform educational outcomes for children from less-advantaged backgrounds - it being well-established that there are issues relating to levels of attainment across the whole school sector, with educational outcomes in Oxfordshire worryingly hovering at no better than the national average. We therefore both hope and expect that there will be parents living locally and in the wider Oxford area – including families in disadvantaged circumstances - who will want their children also to experience the benefits of learning in a language-rich environment and our admissions policy will reflect this.
However, we also expect the school to be attractive to the large number of families who are currently drawn to the Oxford area from other parts of Europe and elsewhere – and we envisage that a significant number of students attending the school will have parents who are themselves bi- or multi-lingual in European or other world languages and who aspire for their children to be fully-equipped for success in a global economy.
Our preferred location for the school would be the current premises of the European School Culham – Thame Lane, Culham, Abingdon OX14 3DZ - which would lend themselves well to a phased handover of the buildings from the closing European School to the Free School. This site is owned by the Crown, which currently leases it to the European School. The school is already partway through a phased closure programme, leading to full closure by 2017.
Whilst the European School has mainly existed to meet the needs of families drawn to the area from other parts of Europe - and it will be the aspiration of the Europa School UK to meet need across a much broader spectrum of families - there will be much good practice that can be carried over from the European School experience.
It bears noting that, for more than thirty years, the current European School has supported and substantially benefitted the local economy - educating children in their European mother tongue and preparing them for life in the global workplace by ensuring that they are confident communicators in both their home and other languages, whilst, at the same time, ensuring they achieve their full potential academically. As an example, in the last three years, Culham students have achieved virtually 100% pass-rate in the European Baccalaureate, putting the school at the top of the league table across the whole of the European Schools system.
Our school will look to achieve similar excellent outcomes for students for whom the European Schools curriculum* – harmonised with English statutory requirements - will be the most appropriate pathway, whilst, at the same time, widening and enriching the educational offer, to reflect what we anticipate will be a much broader intake than currently attends the European School.
*By using this link, you will be transferred to the official European Schools website, which shows the curriculum followed by the European schools system across Europe. Europa School UK intends to become an accredited school as soon as possible. In the meantime, the curriculum it will follow will be based upon similar curriculum principles.
