Widnes up for business award

Widnes Vikings have been nominated for a 2009 Business Language Champions Award.

The nomination is for businesses who can demonstrate an innovative approach to working with schools to support language learning and comes about following the partnership forged with Wade Deacon High School in the build up to the opening 2009 Co-operative Championship game with Toulouse in March.

All KS3 and 4 French students were involved in the project with KS3 students taking part in a competition to find match announcers for the game.

A tongue twister competition was created by the school to improve speaking skills and confidence when presenting in French and the winning presenters from each class went through to an X-factor final in front of a host of teachers and pupils with the winners from Year 7, 8 and 9 became the school’s representatives at the game and announced the teams and scorers in French.

KS4 pupils were practising for their module 4 speaking tests had the opportunity to converse in French with a native French speaker, Super League referee Thierry Alibert, and ask him questions about life in France, rugby and how he copes with speaking in foreign language and its benefits.

The confidence and recognition from this conversation really spurred on the KS4 pupils with Wade Deacon High School receiving its highest percentage of A*-C grades in the school’s history.
 
Vikings’ players joined Msr. Alibert in a French lesson which was filmed by Sky Sports and broadcast in the build up to the televised clash with Toulouse which attracted a crowd of over 5,100.

The panel will make its decision on Wednesday 11th November with the award ceremony taking place at The Imagination Gallery in Central London on Monday 30th November.