LANGUAGES
Language engagement
The government decision to make languages non-
may have been disseminating the wrong
messages. Language learning has been seen as
compulsory at GCSE has sparked much debate. We look at
advantageous from an economic stand-point
and in terms of job prospects, which for young
what is happening in this crucial area of education
people is not necessarily a very attractive or
motivating way of looking at it. Young people
might want to learn a language because there
I
t is something of a joke within these shores And only one student in 10 now takes is a moral imperative to do so, and out of an
and beyond that the British are hopeless German at GCSE, compared with one in five intellectual curiosity.
at foreign languages. In fact, if television a decade ago. The uptake of other modern “Once children reach adolescence, they start
sitcoms are to be believed, we Brits can languages is also lower now than at any point establishing a sense of their own identity, which
communicate when abroad – but in English, by in the last 14 years. makes knowledge of language important in our
speaking very loudly and v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. Mandarin Chinese, Gujarati and Arabic, multicultural society. Some world languages
In fact, we are not as monolingual as our meanwhile, are gaining in interest and are also community languages in this country,
reputation suggests. Modern Britain is a importance, even if examination take-up such as Mandarin and Arabic, and these have a
hugely language-diverse society, with more remains largely among native speakers. mixed audience. Some people will want to learn
than 300 languages spoken by its citizens. The future lies in what happens in primary them because they are a heritage language.
Which is why when Ruth Kelly, the then schools, according to Sarah Cartwright, “The British are not bad at learning
education secretary, suggested that “everyone programme manager of Our Languages languages, as is often suggested, but there are
needs to focus on learning English”, she did – a Department for Children, Schools and motivational problems. For language learning
little to help the cause. Families-funded consortium of CiLT (the to flourish we need someone to say that it
Experts believe that it is not a case of National Centre for Languages), the Specialist matters,” Ms Cartwright added.
choosing between two or more languages Schools and Academies Trust, and the She fears that unless the primary initiative
and perfecting one. Research has shown clear National Resource Centre for Supplementary is successful, language learning could become
benefits in cognitive development for children Education, which is aimed at creating more the preserve of pupils educated in independent
brought up to be bilingual. partnerships between community and Saturday schools. The erroneous perception that
As youngsters pick up one foreign language, schools and the mainstream education sector. language learning is difficult, has been passed
it makes the learning of every subsequent By 2010, all primary schools will have on from one monolingual generation to
language slightly easier as they begin to see to offer languages to pupils at key stage 2, another.
common root words. They pick up linguistic which means they must start being taught “It probably started under the old education
skills the more they learn. Studies have also in September 2009, offering children the system where if you passed your 11-plus you
shown that for students with English as an experience of language learning earlier on in did languages at grammar school, but if you
additional language, improving literacy in their their school lives. failed and went to a secondary modern, you
mother tongue will have a direct benefit for The idea is that students will enter secondary grew up with the belief that you were not
their future progress in English. education with a positive attitude towards clever enough to be able to learn a language.
The non-compulsory nature of modern learning languages and will want to continue “This is a class attitude that I believe
foreign language teaching at key stage 4 studying through key stage 4 and beyond. continues to prevail. There is still a perception
means that uptake of languages has declined. The key to success in languages seems to that it is something you can do if your parents
According to figures released last year, fewer be to start learning early. “The younger you pay for it. Yet we have to give all pupils the
than half of school pupils in England are now are the less self-conscious, and as you make opportunity to be able to learn languages.”
taking a modern European language at GCSE. progress, you are more likely to believe in The debate over the move to non-
About 29 per cent took French last year, yourself,” said Ms Cartwright. compulsory languages is a core editorial
compared with 54 per cent in 2000. “One of the problems so far is that we issue in SecEd. Editor Pete Henshaw said:
16 SecEd
DELIVERING INNOVATION IN QUALIFICATIONS
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