What we do

Wondering what CLSSA do for Community Language Schools (CLS)?

Our schools do a lot for our students, and we make sure we return the favor. Some of the many things we do include:

Helping schools shine

We help new schools get up and running and make sure our current schools stay awesome.

Supporting school heroes

We offer training and professional development to make sure our schools’ personnel are always at their best. We run courses for new and existing personnel as well as sourcing external essential training.

Money magic

We’re here to help our schools and the government with funding provision and acquittal. Because, let’s face it, sometimes managing finances is just as tricky as learning a new language!

Voice of the community

We’re like the cheerleaders for the community language sector. We advocate for the needs of schools, personnel and students at a local, state and federal level.

Connection makers

We help schools to connect with their existing communities, develop new ones and tap into local resources.

Party planner extraordinaires

Inter-school activities and cultural festivals are our jam. We love to see our schools have a good time, share their cultures with others and learn from each other.

Sector Research

CLSSA has recently commissioned research from University of South Australia’s Research Centre for Languages and Culture. This research identifies the best practice required to maintain a high standard of teaching in the sector and student outcomes.

Learn more about the projects and their outcomes below.

2023 Being Multilingual: The experiences of young people learning community languages

This research project engaged students from CLSs and found that:

Students felt that learning another language was important to their identity and valuable for learning, connecting with diverse people, and participating in diverse communities,
Learning community languages was a benefit to students in building skills, improving literacy and developing empathy,
Most students did not feel that their multilingual abilities were recognised or utlised in mainstream education.

2021 Curriculum Design Framework

This research project built on the review completed in 2018.

In answer to enhancing the quality of CLS programs and teacher capabilities, three courses were developed to be provided to CLS personnel in South Australia. The courses include:

Foundation Course

An introduction to the classroom for personnel joining a CLS who do not have a teaching history. This course covers basic principles of teaching and learning, how to connect with students, curriculum planning and assessments.

Bridging Course

For personnel joining a CLS who are already have experience teaching in mainstream school. This course provides an overview of topics specific to CLS classrooms, curriculum planning and assessments.

Leadership Course

For personnel involved in a leadership role and responsible for curriculum planning at CLSs.

2018 Review of Ethnic Schools Program of South Australia

In 2018, the University of South Australia conducted a review of the programs being provided across CLSs in SA. This project identified a number of areas for CLSSA to focus on to continue supporting CLSs. These included:

Increasing program provision, specifically student enrolments and retention,
Enhancing the quality of the programs and curriculum with a focus on student experiences,
Building teacher capabilities,
Strengthening management procedures,
Strengthening the value of the overall program.