Second Language Program for our Prep Children

The youngest members of our St Philip’s community are being afforded the opportunity to learn a new language with the successful rollout of the Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program with the Prep students at Narnia Newcastle.

ELLA is a digital, play-based language program developed by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. It is based on a series of interactive apps specifically designed to give preschool children experience with an additional language and culture.

The children have a 15-minute French lesson each day with one of the educators in the Prep room. The program is individually tailored to each child so they can work through at their own pace and be immersed in the program with guidance from the educator.  Staff can also download each child’s progress along the way. 

This is now the 2nd year that Narnia have been running the program, in this time they have found that the children are picking up the language really well and are excited and enthusiastic about using the program and about trying out their new skills. The program has also shown benefits in improving their cognitive, social and digital skills.