PRIMARY MODERN LANGUAGE

PML Policy

New! Languages Review report, March 2007 (Lord Dearing):

Implications for Primary Modern Languages in the State Sector

Report available HERE.

Learning a foreign language will become a compulsary part of the curriculum for 7-14 years old (KS2 - KS3).

Primary Modern Languages will become statutory when the curriculum is next reviewed by QCA, in possibly 2008 with the prospect of languages being a compulsary part of the key stage 2 in 2010.

Currently, the national languages strategy and the introduction of an entitlement to study languages at primary schools where 70% of primaries are starting to teach a language to 7-11 years old.

Which languages to teach? There are more than 300 languages other than English in the UK. The term "community language" describes the language in use by different linguistic communities. Would the statutory requirement encourage diversification in the teaching of modern languages? There seems to be some encouragement to support the teaching of community languages such as mandarin and urdu, but much seems to be left to the schools and local needs.

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While institutions have been responding to this report, what do the Londoners think of this initiative? In a recent online poll reported in the14th March 2007 Evening Standard, the London Vox Pop asked Londoners whether pupils should start a foreign language at seven. 68% said "Yes" and 32% said "No". In the same issue, a Londoner named Judy wrote "I was brought up under the Canadian system where children learn French from the age of five. This improved my English, since it made me more aware of grammar and sentence structure. That, in turn, made it easier for me to pick up a third language." - Judy (13 March Evening Standard). On 14 of March Evening Standard Messageboard, GeoffreyQ wrote: "When compulsary language teaching in primary schools was tried in the 70s, it was a total failure. There were insufficient teachers who could speak French or German well enough to do the job properly. The 'solution' was to send teachers on a nearly useless 10-week course; if the same mistake is made today, it will merely waste lots of money." - GeoffreyQ (14 March 2007, Messageboard).

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What do you think? What are your views?

Send us your opinions at: ask@blen-education.org.uk ASAP, so that we can collate your views and post it on our website.

 

Early Language Learning: DfES 2002

For primary school children:
The performance of 11-year-olds must be raised beyond 2002 targets and the achievement gap between different wards, even within the same part of the country, must be narrowed. In enriching the National Curriculum, we will continue to widen learning opportunities for primary school children. Working with others we will deliver:
Literacy and Numeracy strategies with even more 11-year-olds able to read, write and use numbers effectively, as a sound basis for progressing into secondary education.
An enriched National Curriculum with wider opportunities for pupils to learn sports and musical instruments and for more primary pupils to learn a foreign language.
New investment via the Children's Fund to provide preventative services for children at risk of social exclusion
From Education and Skills: Delivering Results, A Strategy to 2006, DfES 2002

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/aboutus/strategy/