Employment

Montrose Academy were keen to give pupils a real life opportunity to speak to someone who has used their language skills to bring them success in the world of work. They discovered that the owner/chef of Beaumartin The Cottage in Glasgow, Andrew Stott, was born and brought up in Arbroath (next to Montrose). This would be very relatable to pupils coming from a small town in Angus and a fantastic example of a success story using one’s linguistic skills in the world of work. Andrew did not attend university so teachers wanted to inspire pupils that languages are not only for the most academic pupils, but that pursuing languages in the senior phase will be beneficial across all sectors in the world of work. 

This project involved visiting the restaurant to eat, to hear his story in French and to have the opportunity for a Q&A, also in French. Ahead of the visit, the S3/4/5/6 learners involved in the project brainstormed the types of employability-focused questions they wanted to ask. They then put these together into French using their French skills. These questioned were differentiated to suit pupils of all abilities so some were more simple and others were extended including tenses/connectives etc. 

Pupils very much enjoyed the 3 course school taster menu and typical French cuisine. Coming from Montrose, this was a very new and different experience for some of them who had never left Montrose or been abroad. 

Further lessons and work evaluating the day and all of the information which Andrew gave the pupils took place after the visit. 

Thanks to this inspiring business link as well as other experiences/trips/DYW themed lessons this year, uptake in Montrose following course choice saw an increase of 69%, including pupils of all abilities.

This is a great submission from Montrose Academy, making excellent (and very clever!) use of a local contact even if they no longer live in the area – this is a very inventive idea! Thorough and well prepared activities before, during and after the restaurant visit made this a very meaningful experience and offered lots of rich exposure to the target language in a real-life workplace context. The verification team was also impressed by the well thought-out timing and selection of year groups. 

This submission was a pleasure for us to read as it really conveys the excitement and enthusiasm from both Andrew, Beaumartin and the school. We did note that we would have been interested to hear about the ‘other DYW themed lessons we have put on for the pupils this year’! A further submission that includes these would be welcome any time.

We are delighted to award this submission a SILVER Scottish Languages Employability Award as it meets the criteria for this level – congratulations!