Can do better" on foreign languages

Citation

(2004), "Can do better" on foreign languages", Education + Training, Vol. 46 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2004.00446aab.004

"Can do better" on foreign languages

"Can do better" on foreign languages

Rutland, West Berkshire, Poole and Bolton have some of the best records in the country for numbers of pupils studying a foreign language at GCSE, according to regional figures released by the Government. Schools minister Stephen Twigg, who published figures on the number of pupils studying French, German or Spanish throughout England, highlighted the need to do more to promote language learning at an earlier age in schools. The figures give a breakdown of the percentage of all 15-year-old pupils in each local education authority who took at least one of the three languages at GCSE. They also reveal the percentage of pupils who took each of the three languages.

In Rutland, 89 per cent of all 15-year-old pupils took at least one language – the highest proportion in the country. The county also had the highest percentage of pupils attempting German (48 per cent). Poole, West Berkshire, and Bolton all had 87 per cent of all pupils studying at least one of the three languages. Leicestershire had the highest percentage of pupils studying French (72 per cent), while Camden in London came top for Spanish, with 35 per cent. In total, 74 per cent of all 15-year-old pupils taking GCSEs studied at least one modern foreign language. More than half of GCSE pupils studied French (51 per cent), 21 per cent studied German, and 8 per cent took Spanish. Mr Twigg said the figures showed a need to do more to encourage pupils throughout the country to learn a language and take an interest in the culture of other nations. He said: "We want to work with LEAs throughout the country to encourage more pupils than ever to take up a foreign language and develop an interest in other nations' cultures. This is important for the pupils' development, and the country as a whole, with more than half of UK worldwide trade being with Europe. Our national languages strategy aims to give every primary pupil aged seven to eleven the chance to learn at least one foreign language by the end of the decade. We recently announced 19 LEAs that are going to pioneer how we do this, and by working with them we can foster a culture of excellence for languages in this country."