Say Yes to Languages Initiative – Term 3, 2025
Pupils from 3rd to 6th Class took part in the Say Yes to Languages (SYTL) initiative during Term 3, running from the end of February through to June 2025.
Say Yes to Languages is a national programme administered by Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) / Languages Connect on behalf of the Department of Education. Its aim is to give primary school children the opportunity to explore a new modern foreign language in a fun and engaging way.
In our school, each participating class received two thirty-minute French lessons per week for a period of ten weeks. These sessions were delivered by our visiting tutor, Ms. Regine Roskam, in close collaboration with the class teachers. It was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils, and one which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Learning a Modern Foreign Language will form part of the primary school experience for pupils over the coming years. As outlined in the new Primary Curriculum Framework, a modern foreign language will be introduced into the Language area of the curriculum alongside English and Irish. The framework “supports the introduction of modern foreign languages in Stages 3 and 4, incrementally building on children’s existing knowledge and awareness of language and progressing from a language awareness model to a competency model in Stage 4” (Department of Education, 2023, p.17).
This year marked the beginning of our pupils’ language journey with Ms. Roskam, and we are hopeful that we will be approved to offer this enriching programme again in the next academic year.
