Closing the Vocabulary Gap Erasmus Project

Project Title

Closing the Vocabulary Gap

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; Key Competences (incl. mathematics and literacy) – basic skills; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

Both De Driemaster and Prince of Wales have noticed that an increasing number of pupils enter our schools with underdeveloped vocabulary. This affects mainly pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and has an impact on social interaction, accessing the curriculum and achieving age related expectations.
This concern reflects a trend that is internationally acknowledged. The increasing reading comprehension demands in every subject area is making this problem more visible than ever before, especially when completing national tests and affects secondary readiness.

The objective is to learn from good and innovative practices at each of our schools: Driemaster – Teach Like a Champion, Rock/Water and Prince of Wales: reading strategies, outdoor learning and Parent Cafes. We will also evaluate each other’s practices to strengthen theirs and our own.

Both schools are primaries catering for Nursery to Year 6/Group 8 (although Dutch schools starts one year later than English schools). We expect that most teachers from DeDriemaster will visit PoW and that a core group of 6 PoW teachers will visit De Driemaster.

The mobilities will include joint training, observing and participating in activities such as Parent Cafes, lesson observations, learning walks. After the initial mobilities where each school has shared their strengths and ideas, both schools will incorporate elements of what has been learnt into their own development plans to trial. The visiting school will initially act as the expert to support the host school to incorporate their ideas Subsequent mobilities will allow both schools through sharing of ideas and innovation to improve on the other’s methodologies.

Ultimately, the aim is to see the gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils’ vocabulary narrow and also to see greater engagement of parents to create a more language rich home environment.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 62542 Eur

Project Coordinator

Prince of Wales Primary school & Country: UK

Project Partners

• De Driemaster