[lg policy] Scotland: Two thirds of councils delivering second language lessons in primary one

[Harold Schiffman]

Two thirds of councils delivering second language lessons in primary one
Written by Jenni Davidson on 12 February 2016 in News

Primary one pupils in 21 Scottish local authority areas will be getting
lessons in a second language by the end of this school year
[image: School children]

Almost two thirds of local authorities will be delivering second language
lessons in primary 1 by the end of this school year.

Pupils in 21 out of the 32 local authority areas are being taught a second
language in the first year of primary school, according to the Scottish
Government.

The Scottish Government introduced a 1+2 languages policy in 2011 – meaning
every primary school pupil will start learning a second language in P1 and
a third at the latest by P5, which they’ll continue until the end of S3.
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All councils are expected to meet the 1+2 languages commitment by 2020.

Local authorities and the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) expressed
concerns about the cost of implementation and the training needed for
primary teachers to deliver the lessons when it was proposed.

In March last year the Scottish Government announced an extra £7.2m funding
to support the initiative.

Minister for Learning, Dr Alasdair Allan, met young people speaking French,
Spanish and Gaelic on a visit to Edinbarnet Primary School in West
Dunbartonshire yesterday.

He said: “In today’s global, multi-cultural world it is more important than
ever that young people have the opportunity to learn languages from an
early age, to equip them with skills and competencies for the globalised
economy.

“We want to ensure the enthusiasm for languages starts at an early stage in
a child’s education. Here at Edinbarnet, it’s great to see that happening
in P1, at a time when a majority of councils are now meeting the commitment.

The 1+2 model of language learning follows an EU policy that all European
citizens should master two languages in addition to their mother tongue.

The 2015 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey (SSA) results show 89 per cent of
people in Scotland think that learning a language other than English in
school from the age of five is important.

https://www.holyrood.com/articles/news/two-thirds-councils-delivering-second-language-lessons-primary-one


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