The Ministry had just introduced English at primary level and wished to make sure its cadre of teachers throughout the country were brought up-to-date with the latest ideas in teaching young learners.

Client, stakeholders, partners

• Ministry of Education and Science, Latvia
• Curriculum and Examination Centre
• School Boards

Focus
Primary English : improving teaching of English to young learners in Latvia

The project
The Ministry had just introduced English at primary level and wished to make sure its cadre of teachers throughout the country were brought up-to-date with the latest ideas in teaching young learners. Then British Council responded by setting up a project, in partnership with the Ministry.

The project was highly successful. Its main achievements were the following:

• Developing a cadre of teachers throughout Latvia able to bring to their classes the latest ideas and methods in teaching English to Young Learners
• Training of a group of Young Learner Teacher Trainers who ran 36-hour training courses throughout Latvia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and local School Boards 
• The production of sets of materials ("Storybook Topics" and "Cross-curricular Topics in Teaching English to Young Learners")
• The formation of a Young Learners' Special Interest Group, as part of the Latvian Association of Teachers of English.

The Project Consultant and Trainer was Dr Janet Enever, North London University, UK.

What the stakeholders say
"Due to the project the level and spread of TEYL in Latvia has risen and the network of the trained TEYL trainers continues to update teachers on the new teaching methodology".
Inta Baranovska, Head of Project Unit, Curriculum and Examination Centre, Ministry of Education and Science, Latvia.

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