drunkenfool
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Registered: 7th Feb 03
Location: Hereford Drives: Audi R8 V8
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Just turned tv on for neighbours and caught the end of an article about introducing french, german and spanish at a younger age. Did anyone see it?
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nova_gteuk
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Registered: 15th May 02
Location: South Wales Drives: The Bandwagon
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Seven-year-olds to take languages
Ron Dearing backs starting early
Modern foreign language lessons are to be compulsory for the first time in England's primary schools.
Education Secretary Alan Johnson backs the recommendation of a review by Lord Dearing that all children should learn a language from the age of seven.
This should happen by 2010, as part of the next curriculum overhaul.
There is no immediate move to reverse the decision to make languages optional beyond 14 - despite a sharp fall in the number of pupils taking GCSEs.
In 2004, pupils were allowed to drop languages in Key Stage 4, the two GCSE years.
Ministers said they were bowing to the subject's unpopularity.
Since then the numbers taking a GCSE qualification have fallen from about three quarters of the age group to half, with the biggest decline being in state comprehensives.
Cross-curricular
In response, ministers commissioned a review from Lord Dearing.
His report says languages should be compulsory from seven to 14.
There should be a three-year "blueprint" of fresh measures aimed at bringing about a renaissance in secondary language learning.
These include a web-based "Open School for Languages", more "engaging" courses and further training for teachers.
An annual budget of £50m should underpin the teaching, the report said.
'Critical mass'
"I want languages to be at the heart of learning," Mr Johnson said.
"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 that time, he hopes they will have built up "a critical mass of knowledge" and a love of languages.
The report does not say GCSE-level study should again be compulsory.
But it does expect a significant reversal in the decline, backed by Ofsted inspections and government targets.
And it says that if a recovery cannot be achieved, there should indeed be "a return to a modified mandatory curriculum" - albeit with a "slimmer" programme of study than used to be the case.
The decline in secondary language study in recent years
Lord Dearing told BBC News that 70% of primary schools were already "on the way" to teaching languages.
"It is the best time to start learning a language because you do pick it up so much more easily.
"The rest of Europe is starting at seven, it's about time we did."
The Welsh Assembly Government said the results from its evaluation of pilot language lessons in primary schools had been very encouraging.
It was going to track the pupils' progress through GCSEs and beyond to see if they should be compulsory.
The British Chambers of Commerce said it was disappointed the report had not supported the reinstatement of compulsory language learning at Key Stage 4.
"We believe that the government's decision to make languages optional at this level was a mistake and not a reflection of the importance of language skills to the UK economy," it said.
The Confederation of British Industry called the report "an important step in the right direction" but expressed concern at the length of time it would take to bear fruit.
Shadow Schools Minister Nick Gibb said Lord Dearing's report did nothing to tackle the underlying causes of the problem.
"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," he said
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Dom H
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Registered: 14th Jun 06
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Quite cool IMO. 
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C2RL R
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Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
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heard this on the radio earlier. apparently 8 years olds will learn foreign languages.
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Robin
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Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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Good idea IMO, I wish I'd got more education in languages, secondary school lessons were rubbish.
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drunkenfool
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Registered: 7th Feb 03
Location: Hereford Drives: Audi R8 V8
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Wicked  The UK has needed this for ages to be fair, our european ignorance is quite embarrasing. Studies also show that bilingual people have an average higher IQ than monolingual cos it encourages your brain to work in certain ways. Fantastic idea
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James_DT
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Registered: 9th Apr 04
Location: Cambridgeshire
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The government bringing in something that's actually going to benefit people? Surely not!
If I'd done more foreign languages when I was in primary school (we did basic French for 6 months) I'd have been more likely to continue it past GCSE.
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Rachel H
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Registered: 12th Nov 03
Location: Berks
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I wish I had bothered to turn up to my German lessons 
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drax
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Registered: 5th Feb 05
Location: Sittingbourne, Kent
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I was learning french since I was 7... didnt help me at all, still couldnt get the hang of it by time I was 16!
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Sam
Moderator
Premium Member
Registered: 24th Dec 99
Location: West Midlands
User status: Offline
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Parlez vous Francais?
Habla usted Espanol?
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drunkenfool
Member
Registered: 7th Feb 03
Location: Hereford Drives: Audi R8 V8
User status: Offline
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claro hablo español
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