Overall I am thrilled with NCELP as a method for teaching languages compared to more “mainstream” topic based teaching methods. I strongly believe that the focus on grammar from the get go really enables pupils to master and manipulate the language as opposed to simply learning blocks of information that they are then unable to use in different contexts or for different topics.

Today for example, I was teaching my Y9 Spanish class (non-NCELP curriculum) and I asked them to translate some sentences in Spanish using the 3rd person singular conjugation. I also had a Y8 pupil in that class who was isolating with me who has been taught the NCELP method. When I asked at the end of the lesson who had completed all of the translations, my Y8 pupil was one of only 3 that were able to complete the translations demonstrating she could apply her knowledge of grammar to a situation more readily than those who had not completed NCELP and were a year older.

The explicit and regular learning and retrieval of sound spelling links has enabled my NCELP pupils (Y7 and Y8 classes) to really develop their listening skills and extract information and transcribe and interpret correctly.

I think the way the course has been researched and compiled is incredibly easy to use and has saved many precious hours of planning and researching resources. I also feel confident that the activities and resources provided are selected and created based on evidence based research.

Furthermore, as a non-Spanish specialist it has enabled me to have a better understanding of the language. The order in which vocabulary is taught has also helped me use more target language to communicate with pupils both verbally and through google classrooms when giving instructions.

The presentation of the slides and their uniformity I believe helps to run a more inclusive classroom as the pupils know the routine and know exactly the kind of activities they will be presented with each lesson.

Overall an excellent set of resources that I thoroughly enjoy teaching. I also feel the pupils feel the benefit as they are able to communicate about many different things, not just the topic that has been practiced for the last term.