Government commissioned review into the teaching of modern foreign languages

12 March 2007

Commenting on the Government commissioned review into the teaching of modern foreign languages in England’s primary schools Steve Sinnott general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, Britain’s largest teaching union said;

“Ron Dearing had a tough job.  Once the decision was taken to drop the requirement to teach 14-16 year olds a modern foreign language, the message went out that it was a second class subject.

“Ron Dearing is, of course, right when he says that, “catch ‘em young”, has to be the principle for modern foreign languages.  Of course young people are more open to a new language.

“But introducing a new requirement in primary schools cannot be carried out on the cheap.

“Alongside training, there will be a need for a fully expert teacher to be available to every primary school.  The primary curriculum itself remains hopelessly overloaded.

“With a limited number of teachers covering all subjects, small primary schools will have their own special problems in introducing a new subject.

“I call on the Government to audit the additional staffing and training needs of all primary schools and to meet them before introducing such a requirement.  It is vital that all schools in an era of global communication enable young people to learn languages other than their own.  There is an enormous range of modern foreign languages which can be drawn on here in the United Kingdom.

“Simply requiring schools to deliver and placing them low in the league tables if they don’t, is not the answer.  Modern foreign languages are far more important than that”.