A network of secondary schools which came together as part of CILT’s KS3 Dissemination and Development Programme has gone on to win a European Award for Languages. As part of the winning initiative, children from eleven schools in the Quartier Rouge network made mini books in French, German and Spanish .

Representatives of Quartier Rouge, a network of 19 secondary schools in Essex, received their award – which recognises innovative and effective language projects - at a ceremony in Bristol last week from Baroness Coussins and broadcaster Henry Bonsu.

Quartier Rouge is just one of 300 networks set up during the course of the two-year KS3 Dissemination and Development Programme,  Teachers from close to 2000 schools across England took part in the programme, which organised schools into Strategic Learning Networks (SLN's) to share strategies, resources and good practice.

CILT’s Neil Hillman, Project Manager of the KS3 Dissemination and Development Programme said: ‘We’re delighted that the programme has been such a success, and that it has led to some really effective and creative collaboration between schools, as seen in the case of Quartier Rouge. This project shows the really great progress that can be made when schools work together to share ideas.’

Jane Breen from King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford, which led Quartier Rouge’s winning project said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted that the European Award for Languages judges have recognised the significant impact collaborative learning networks can have on inspiring teachers and students from a diverse range of backgrounds to learn with and from each other.’

The programme officially ended in March but many schools have continued to work in their networks as they have found the partnerships so useful. Teachers said that they appreciated the opportunity the programme gave them to share ideas about the issues that most concerned them, ranging from improving transition from primary to secondary school to increasing uptake at GCSE. In a recent survey, 98% of SLNs said that being part of a network had been helpful.