Britain: School language study declining

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From BBC.com

School language decline continues

Learning a modern language beyond the age of 14 is now compulsory in only
a quarter of England's state secondary schools, a survey suggests.  In a
similar survey a year ago, by the National Centre for Languages, the
figure was more than a third. But the centre said languages could attract
pupils if they had support from the senior management in a school. Some
schools were successfully using strategies such as offering more diverse
courses and qualifications.

Different sectors

The National Centre for Languages (Cilt) said there was continuing concern
about the effect of the government's decision to remove languages from the
core curriculum at Key Stage 4 from September 2004. Its annual survey
aimed to monitor the extent to which maintained secondary schools in
England were making languages optional for students aged over 14.  It sent
questionnaires to a representative random sample of 1,577 state schools
and 423 independent schools. The results were based on responses from
about 57% of them. Within the state sector there was a split between
comprehensives, only 21% of which now make languages compulsory, and
grammar schools (85%). In the independent sector the figure is 75%,
according to its report, Language trends 2005: Languages in Key Stage 4.

French and German hit

Schools in the lowest fifth nationally for educational achievement are
least likely to have languages as a compulsory subject (7% do) while
schools in the top fifth are most likely (63%). Regionally, 40% of schools
in the South East have compulsory languages, with just 18% in the North
West and Yorkshire and 21% in Humberside. Languages tend to be kept on in
schools with higher than average numbers of pupils whose first language is
not English. The decline has hit French and German the hardest, but
Spanish is increasing in popularity.

Among the sort of new courses and qualifications being offered to make the
curriculum more interesting are Applied GCSEs, Vocational A-levels and
Asset Languages.

'Despondency'

Cilt reported that teachers said the vocational value of languages was not
always self-evident and had to be made explicit. Where this was done,
there was evidence that school language departments could respond to the
more competitive environment they now found themselves in. But where there
was a lack of managerial support for languages, Cilt said, "demotivation
has trickled down and there is a despondency about languages throughout
the school". Its director, Isabella Moore, said: "It is vital that we
redouble our efforts to convince pupils of the value and relevance of
languages to their future lives.

"The advantages of learning a language have to be made explicit and there
needs to be greater acknowledgement of the added value of a language
qualification for all students." Language trends 2005: Languages in Key
Stage 4 presents the results of a survey carried out by Cilt, the
Association for Language Learning and the Independent Schools Modern
Languages Association.


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/4404998.stm

Published: 2005/11/03 18:35:50 GMT

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