Seven-year-olds to learn languages

Learning a foreign language is to become compulsory for 7 to 14-year-olds in England, the government has announced.

Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced that the government would back the recommendation in a review of languages by Lord Dearing. Mr Johnson said that the government would support making languages compulsory for primary schools when the primary National Curriculum is next reviewed, which should be 2010.

The main recommendations of the report, conducted by Lord Dearing and Dr Lid King, the DfES National Director for Languages, also included measures to establish an Open School for Languages, which would introduce more engaging courses and assessment and expand teacher training opportunities, as well as a proposed annual budget of over £50 million a year to support teaching in primary and secondary schools and help fund supporting organisations.

Studying languages became optional for pupils in Key Stage 4 (14-16-year-olds) in England in 2004. Numbers of pupils taking GCSE languages dropped following the introduction of the option, but the numbers of those taking the GCSE who gained an A* to C pass increased to 64% this year, from 50% five years ago.

Lord Dearing's report did not suggest a return to compulsion to studying languages at GCSE, pointing out that in 2000, when languages were still compulsory, one in five pupils were giving up the subject.

Mr Johnson said: "I want languages to be at the heart of learning. That's why I accept Lord Dearing's recommendation that we look to full embed languages in the primary curriculum when it is next reviewed. The earlier you start learning a language the better. Making language study compulsory from 7 to 14 will give pupils seven years to build up their knowledge, confidence and experience.

"By the time they reach Key Stage 4, pupils will have built up a critical mass of knowledge - and hopefully a love - of languages. We need to demonstrate languages are both a useful skill and something to enjoy if we are to have better motivated learners."

The Conservatives welcomed the plans, but warned that the move should not further undermine language learning in secondary schools. Commenting on the announcement, Shadow Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: "We welcome the recommendation that languages should be taught in primary school from the age of seven, but the government should have ensured that this was in place before its decision to downgrade languages at GCSE."

Liberal Democrats education spokesperson Sarah Teather said: "Primary schools are already overloaded with subjects the government says it is vital that they teach. At some point something has to give, there are only so many hours in the day.

"Only when the government frees teachers from the burdens of the overly prescriptive curriculum will they be able to fit in exciting new language lessons."

(KMcA/SP)