Pilot scheme for foreign language learning unveiled

Schools in 19 local education authorities will pilot a new scheme for language learning as a first step towards ensuring all seven to 11-year-olds have the opportunity to learn a foreign language.

Nineteen Local Education Authorities (LEAs) have been selected to take part in pilot projects and develop strategies that will foster professional development and develop local, regional, national and international partnerships.

Education Minister Catherine Ashton said: "Every primary pupil will have the opportunity to study at least one foreign language by 2010. This is an exciting chance to get children learning languages earlier.

"In the past, children have not started to learn languages until secondary school, when for many children it is too late. This has meant that only 39% of 15-year-old pupils taking a foreign language in 2002 achieved grades A-C, whilst only 11% of 16 to 18-year-olds chose to take a language A'level in 2002 and only 2% of undergraduates were studying a language in 2001/02. We want to make sure that children are excited by languages by the time they get to secondary school so they have a real choice to take their studies further.

It was also announced today that Dr Lid King would head up the new National Director for Languages in September.

Dr King is currently Director of the Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT) and has supported the Department for Education and Skills in developing the National Languages Strategy and other policies, such as the Early Language Learning initiative.

He will play "a key role" in the implementation of the National Languages Strategy which was published last December.

Dr King said that the key to real change is "effective partnership". He added: "We are therefore fortunate that there are so many potential partners organisations and individuals, teachers and employers, users and learners - who support the drive for greater language capability."

The 19 LEA areas are: Barking & Dagenham; Birmingham; Brighton & Hove; Bury; Coventry; East Riding; Enfield; Hammersmith & Fulham; Hampshire; Kent; Knowsley; Liverpool; Norfolk; North Tyneside; Nottinghamshire; Oldham; Richmond upon Thames, Sheffield and Lancashire. Some of these LEAs will be working together as joint projects.

(GMcG)