Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the domestic scheme to replace Erasmus+ set up by Switzerland; and if no such assessment has been made, what plans they have to assess the effectiveness of the Swiss replacement scheme before committing to a UK domestic alternative.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Participation in Erasmus+ is subject to our ongoing negotiations with the EU.
In parallel with the negotiations, we are continuing to develop a UK-wide domestic alternative to Erasmus+ as a contingency measure. The Spending Review 2020 committed funding to prepare for a UK-wide domestic alternative, in the event that the UK no longer participates in Erasmus+, to fund outward global education mobility schemes. The government will set out further details on this potential scheme in due course.
As part of our ongoing preparations towards this potential scheme, we have looked at comparable schemes across the globe, including the Swiss European Mobility Scheme. The Department for Education is in regular contact with the Swiss government to discuss education-related matters, maintaining an open dialogue and holding discussions to share insights and best practice, including on the Swiss exchange scheme.
Youth and sport are the responsibility of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and it has been considering the provision of a domestic alternative scheme for the youth elements of Erasmus+ as part of the recent Spending Review. Funding was not, however, allocated to a domestic alternative to the youth element of Erasmus+ at the Spending Review.
Erasmus+ Sport is a very small part of the programme, representing only 1.8% of the overall budget. We are already investing significant sums of money in sport programmes which align with Erasmus+ Sport themes and objectives, and do not consider that there is a need to create a specific domestic alternative programme to replace Erasmus+ Sport activities. For example, through Sport England, we are investing more than £1.2 billion from the 2016 financial year to the 2021 financial year on grassroots sport and physical activity programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement in the Spending Review 2020, published on 25 November, that the Department for Education settlement "provides funding to prepare for a UK-wide domestic alternative to Erasmus+, in the event that the UK no longer participates in Erasmus+, to fund outward global education mobilities", whether such funding would be sufficient to provide for reciprocal arrangements as in the current Erasmus+ programme; and what steps are being taken to secure the recognition of other countries for a possible UK domestic alternative scheme.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Participation in Erasmus+ is subject to our ongoing negotiations with the EU.
In parallel with the negotiations, we are continuing to develop a UK-wide domestic alternative to Erasmus+ as a contingency measure. The Spending Review 2020 committed funding to prepare for a UK-wide domestic alternative, in the event that the UK no longer participates in Erasmus+, to fund outward global education mobility schemes. The government will set out further details on this potential scheme in due course.
As part of our ongoing preparations towards this potential scheme, we have looked at comparable schemes across the globe, including the Swiss European Mobility Scheme. The Department for Education is in regular contact with the Swiss government to discuss education-related matters, maintaining an open dialogue and holding discussions to share insights and best practice, including on the Swiss exchange scheme.
Youth and sport are the responsibility of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and it has been considering the provision of a domestic alternative scheme for the youth elements of Erasmus+ as part of the recent Spending Review. Funding was not, however, allocated to a domestic alternative to the youth element of Erasmus+ at the Spending Review.
Erasmus+ Sport is a very small part of the programme, representing only 1.8% of the overall budget. We are already investing significant sums of money in sport programmes which align with Erasmus+ Sport themes and objectives, and do not consider that there is a need to create a specific domestic alternative programme to replace Erasmus+ Sport activities. For example, through Sport England, we are investing more than £1.2 billion from the 2016 financial year to the 2021 financial year on grassroots sport and physical activity programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage and support entrants to GCSE examinations in community languages for the 2020/2021 academic year.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
All pupils should have the opportunity to study foreign languages as part of a core academic curriculum and this should include community languages. The department recognises the importance of high quality qualifications in languages such as Polish, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali and Turkish.
At key stage 4, languages, including community languages, are included in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Since the introduction of the EBacc performance measure in 2010, the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) has increased from 40 per cent in 2010 to 47 per cent in 2019.
As with any other GCSE subject, the department expects schools to provide appropriate support to pupils to prepare them for examinations. In relation to the 2020/21 academic year, the department’s guidance to schools reopening from September states that the curriculum should remain broad from year 7 to year 9 so that the majority of pupils are taught a full range of subjects over the year, including sciences, languages, humanities, the arts, physical education/sport, religious education and relationships, sex and health education. The guidance also sets out an expectation that the majority of year 10 and year 11 pupils continue to study their examination subjects, supporting them towards their preferred route to further study. The full opening of schools guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.
The department has invested in a range of programmes to increase uptake of languages at GCSE. The £2.41 million MFL Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018 and is designed to improve uptake and attainment in languages at key stages 3 and 4.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many candidates for a language GCSE who entered for examination in summer 2020 were subsequently withdrawn by 15 May; and of those, how many were entered for less-taught, heritage or community languages.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The Department does not hold information about candidates who entered for a language GCSE examination in Summer 2020 and were subsequently withdrawn. Exam entries are a matter for the individual, independent exam boards.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether supplementary schools which are (1) registered as community language examination centres, and (2) not registered as community language examination centres, have been informed that they can provide their language students with teacher assessments and predicted grades on the same basis as mainstream schools.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the noble Baroness. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Lords Library.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether students studying for GCSEs in a foreign language at a supplementary school will be eligible to sit the examination in the Autumn if they have been unable to do so this summer due to COVID-19.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We are working with the independent qualifications regulator, Ofqual, and the exam boards to ensure that students have the opportunity to sit exams in the autumn. This includes those who have studied at supplementary schools. Ofqual will be consulting on proposed arrangements.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that all language students at supplementary schools who have been entered for a GCSE examination in that language this summer but are unable to sit it because of COVID-19 are refunded automatically with their full entrance fee.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The department recognises that schools and colleges want clarity on exam fees following the announcement that GCSE exams will not take place this summer. The department and the exam boards are working together to ensure that they are provided with further information as soon as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a German Excellence Programme, along the lines of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, to boost the take-up of German in state secondary schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Following the decision by the previous government in 2004 to make modern foreign languages non-compulsory at Key Stage 4, uptake at GCSE for languages decreased significantly.
We want more pupils to study languages, which unlock huge opportunities in life. That is why we made languages compulsory at Key Stage 2, and included them as part of the English Baccalaureate set of subjects. Under the current government, the decline has reversed and the proportion of pupils taking languages has risen from 40% in 2010 to 47% in 2019.
However, we know there is more to do. That is why we are investing millions of pounds in a range of programmes, including the MFL pedagogy pilot, a digi-mentoring scheme, and the Mandarin Excellence Programme. We will continue to listen to stakeholders and review other ways to improve take up of these important subjects, including but not limited to German.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to drop their targets for the uptake of modern foreign languages as part of the English Baccalaureate; and if so, why.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Following the decision by the previous government in 2004 to make modern foreign languages non-compulsory at Key Stage 4, uptake at GCSE for languages decreased significantly.
We want more pupils to study languages, which unlock huge opportunities in life. That is why we made languages compulsory at Key Stage 2, and included them as part of the English Baccalaureate set of subjects. Under the current government, the decline has reversed and the proportion of pupils taking languages has risen from 40% in 2010 to 47% in 2019.
However, we know there is more to do. That is why we are investing millions of pounds in a range of programmes, including the MFL pedagogy pilot, a digi-mentoring scheme, and the Mandarin Excellence Programme. We will continue to listen to stakeholders and review other ways to improve take up of these important subjects, including but not limited to German.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the 2019 Language Trends Survey, published by the British Council in July, in particular its findings that (1) disadvantaged pupils are less likely to take a language GCSE, and (2) only a quarter of state schools offer pupil exchanges abroad, compared to almost half of independent schools.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department notes the British Council Language Trends 2019 Survey and wants to see more pupils take languages at GCSE and experience international opportunities, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. We have included languages as a pillar within the English Baccalaureate school performance measure to address the sharp fall in take up following the decision to make the subject non-compulsory at key stage 4 in 2004. This has seen the proportion of pupils who take languages GCSE increase from 40% in 2010 to 46% last year, and we want to see these numbers increase.
In the department’s £4.8 million Modern Foreign Language (MFL) Pedagogy pilot programme, one of the 9 lead schools is in an Opportunity Area and another is in the Opportunity North East area. We have launched a pilot project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils. This project specifically targets areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils and focuses on areas of low uptake. We are also piloting a financial incentive to improve the retention of MFL teachers in 25 local authorities that are most in need.
In partnership with the British Council, the department is offering thousands of young people the chance to take part in international exchanges and visits. Backed by £2.5 million, schools in England can apply for grants to take pupils aged 11 and above to visit partner schools around the world. The programme is principally focused on those from disadvantaged backgrounds and we want to encourage as many schools as possible to sign up for this opportunity.