Summary

The Kaunas Panemune Primary School is part of a national network in Lithuania of schools which have launched the early teaching of a foreign language. It is an inner city school with some 250 pupils on roll. For some years the school has encouraged international activities and participation in Comenius projects. English is taught in the school which is supported by local teacher training institutions. A communicative approach is used with ample opportunity given for oral expression and the use of ICT. There is support by the whole school community, including parents, in activities such as speech competitions and an English club. Attitudes towards other subjects and to school life in general have improved considerably since the launch of the initiative and parents surveyed have been very satisfied with progress. Pupils often spend their own time attending the English club and have developed a high standard of communicative skills.

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