Languages: Education

(asked on 8th July 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the uptake of foreign languages in schools.


Answered by
Elizabeth Truss Portrait
Elizabeth Truss
This question was answered on 14th July 2014

The new national curriculum in England introduces the teaching of a foreign language to key stage 2 (ages 7 to 11) from September 2014. This will increase the take-up of foreign languages in both primary and secondary schools. By starting languages earlier, pupils will have longer to develop their skills to a high level before continuing with language learning in secondary school.

The English Baccalaureate is also already encouraging more young people to study a language at GCSE level. Take-up by key stage 4 pupils in England of a modern foreign language increased by over 20% between 2012 and 2013.

To support the introduction of languages at key stage 2, the Department for Education has allocated £350,000 this year to fund training on the new national curriculum for teachers of modern foreign languages in primary and secondary schools. The Department has also allocated £1.9 million to teaching schools to lead curriculum change across and within their teaching school alliances.

Approximately 46 of the projects being supported involve languages.

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