[Americaniamh]

(Original post by hines)
Secondary schools must teach a modern foreign language (any except tribal dialects)

That phrasing is a bit off. Maybe a proposed bill could mention specific languages, say the most in-demand economically, the most widely spoken by population or region or maybe the UN languages plus say Portuguese, German and other popular languages?

I also agree with the other posters that any bill should mention language education prior to secondary to be most effective.

[kf289]

As a secondary school MFL teacher I couldn't agree more with this bill, although it needs to be handled properly. As several people have mentioned, bringing language learning in at a younger age is vital, however who is going to teach them? The majority of my primary teacher friends either do not have adequate knowledge of a second language to teach it. This leads to kids reaching us in Year 7 who have been 'taught' incredibly inaccurate French and sometimes does more harm than good. Also there needs to be some sort of consistency or provision for different languages - as someone mentioned above, they learned some French at primary school and then moved to secondary school to start all over again. What happens when pupils from one feeder school have done French, another Spanish, another German, another none whatsoever, to then all be put in the same Spanish class? So yes, language skills are incredibly important and I am strongly in favour of this bill, but only if the government can ensure that it is implemented properly.

[bestofyou]

(Original post by hines)
Proposed for a bill which would mean:

Secondary schools must teach a modern foreign language (any except tribal dialects)to:
Years 7-9 for 1 hour minimum per week
Years 10-11 as a compulsory option for 2 hours minimum per week

Any education institution of students within the ages of the above year groups must comply. This excludes institutions with students with severe learning difficulties, for whom it will be the choice to comply.

The Secretary of State's office will moderate that it is being carried out, checks will be done within the routine OfStEd inspection. Breaches should be reported back to the SoS, who will pass on dealings to the police
A fine of a maximum of £2500 applies and should be paid by the board of governors and headyteacher, for whom the school is under the control of.

This should apply throughout the United Kingdom with immediate effect.



This Bill is necessary as schools are taking the opportunity to teach languages less and less, however as we live firstly in a multi cultural society, but secondly because we the job market is now looking more for people with language skills.

(Original post by internetguru)
What is the point nobody will ever learn a language that way. I did 3 hours of French lessons per week from year 7 to year 11 and got a D overall. Got an F in the speaking exam. I cannot speak French at all if you want to teach languages it must be started at the beginning of primary school.

this

the proposal is if anything worse than what we already have. 1 hour a week? 1 class, serious? Considering all you seem to learn is the colours, names of animals and generally things that don't matter nobody will learn anything properly.

There proposal should be 1 hour a week for KS1, 2-3 a week for KS2 and then in secondary school an intensive course of 4-6 hours a week which brings you up to GCSE standard by about year 9 (NI year 9 btw) think that is English year 8

[canŵio]

It is compulsory to teach an MFL to primary school children, from the age of 7.
I feel like that's the right age, I kind of agree with the system in places like Sweden where children only start school at 7 and just have play before that.

I studied Sanskrit from the age of 6!

[taamuuu]

I really like the sound of this. I'm a Year 10 student who is undertaking four language GCSEs; French, Mandarin Chinese, Bengali & Latin.

My school offers; French, Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Bengali, Arabic, Urdu & loads of others outside curriculum like Yourba, Portugese, Punjabi etc.

It is a Language College specialist school and has to be sponsered for the years it can run. Im lucky enough to be in the cohort that it will run till, until they have to look for new sponsors.

On a final note, the English Baccalaurete has now made taking a language compulsory to achieve the Baccalaureate.

[TheHansa]

Will it be anything more than learning lists of verbs, phrases were everyone knows what it means but not which bit means what and singing various greetings to the tune of she'll be coming round the mountain? If not just leave it.

[Fool In The Rain]

(Original post by taamuuu)
My school offers; French, Spanish, Italian, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, Bengali, Arabic, Urdu & loads of others outside curriculum like Yourba, Portugese, Punjabi etc.

It is a Language College specialist school and has to be sponsered for the years it can run. Im lucky enough to be in the cohort that it will run till, until they have to look for new sponsors.

Your school is so lucky! I wish the LANGUAGE COLLEGE I went to offered more than French and Spanish as language GCSEs. I would have loved to do German, Mandarin Chinese and maybe even Arabic . You're making me all excited now .

[RoryS]

(Original post by Fool In The Rain)
Edit: I also agree with the BSL idea, that would be brilliant! Again, it should be implicated at a young age, in order to make it easier for people to learn it.

It would be - and I agree. Starting people off at a younger age helps.

(Original post by jsb123)
I agree with the BSL idea, and I've been thinking about it for a while. Drop me a line if you want to discuss it.

As for the teaching of languages, I agree that they should be a major part of the education of children, but it does need to be started earlier, and perhaps the system of teaching it should be looked at.

I may take you up on that when I'm writing the bill. You can have a read over the bill I plan to write in a few weeks time. Expect a PM from me.

(Original post by zedbrar)
I have to agree with the general consensus here that languages should be targeted at younger ages.

Couldn't agree more with BSL. It is far more important than many realise.

It is important and it helps with everyone's non-verbal communication...

[detinus]

(Original post by hines)
Proposed for a bill which would mean:

Secondary schools must teach a modern foreign language (any except tribal dialects)to:
Years 7-9 for 1 hour minimum per week
Years 10-11 as a compulsory option for 2 hours minimum per week

If an option is compulsory it isn't an option. If something is optional, it isn't compulsory.

[toronto353]

(Original post by madders94)
What is a "compulsory option"? Also, languages need to be started from an earlier age; you'd be better focusing your attentions on primary schools.

The problem is the time. Many primary schools just don't have the time to focus on languages as much as I perhaps believe that you think that they should. Many children also struggle to read (and this is more common in primary school). Given the way that reading is taught in primary schools, it will be difficult to teach English and then another language. I see your point, but it risks either leaving children behind in English even more or limiting it to those who can read which creates difficulties because what do the schools then do when those who can read learn other languages? Do the children who are struggling begin to catch up? If so, who teaches both classes? It creates a strain on resources. I completely see your point, but it isn't feasible.


I like this petition though. The part about inspections seems harsh to me. Should we really be involving the police? Isn't it a waste of their time?

[jsb123]

(Original post by RoryS)
It would be - and I agree. Starting people off at a younger age helps.



I may take you up on that when I'm writing the bill. You can have a read over the bill I plan to write in a few weeks time. Expect a PM from me.



It is important and it helps with everyone's non-verbal communication...

I... speak?...do?... whatever the verb is , sign language, as I'm partially deaf, so just ask for any help I can give you.

[madders94]

(Original post by toronto353)
The problem is the time. Many primary schools just don't have the time to focus on languages as much as I perhaps believe that you think that they should. Many children also struggle to read (and this is more common in primary school). Given the way that reading is taught in primary schools, it will be difficult to teach English and then another language. I see your point, but it risks either leaving children behind in English even more or limiting it to those who can read which creates difficulties because what do the schools then do when those who can read learn other languages? Do the children who are struggling begin to catch up? If so, who teaches both classes? It creates a strain on resources. I completely see your point, but it isn't feasible.


I like this petition though. The part about inspections seems harsh to me. Should we really be involving the police? Isn't it a waste of their time?

I'm in Wales so I went through the school system bilingually, and everyone left primary school able to read and write in English and Welsh, as well as being ready for science, maths, history and geography at secondary school level, and we had PE, music, technology and drama sessions too - surely there is some time to devote to teaching a foreign language in schools where Welsh isn't taught?

If there are pupils who are struggling to read and write, schools should perhaps stop lessons like music and drama until the essential skills - the three Rs - are up to scratch.

[number23]

people are only going to succeed in a language if they enjoy it and choose it; i think the choice of studying it should be available to everyone but not compulsary

maybe there should be a wider scope of languages available in schools, giving pupils a choice

[toronto353]

(Original post by madders94)
I'm in Wales so I went through the school system bilingually, and everyone left primary school able to read and write in English and Welsh, as well as being ready for science, maths, history and geography at secondary school level, and we had PE, music, technology and drama sessions too - surely there is some time to devote to teaching a foreign language in schools where Welsh isn't taught?

If there are pupils who are struggling to read and write, schools should perhaps stop lessons like music and drama until the essential skills - the three Rs - are up to scratch.

Yes, but that may have been backed up by your home environment. It may have also been because English and Welsh were equally weighted. The difficultly is that there isn't an awful lot of time especially when that teaching isn't backed up by the home environment or being in the country where that language is spoken or seen i.e. in Wales many of the signs are in Welsh I believe.

With regards to your second paragraph. Fine, so we don't teach languages to them. You then need more teachers if you're dividing the classes up. How do schools afford that when their budgets are being squeezed?

[Butterfly9595]

Definitely needs to be more focus on languages in both primary and secondary schools - how are most other countries able to teach their children to read and write efficiently in their native language, and also be able to speak one or two others??
Britain is often seen as the laziest place in Europe for learning languages - we simply don't get the oppurtunity until secondary school. If other countries can do it, why can't we?

[RoryS]

(Original post by jsb123)
I... speak?...do?... whatever the verb is , sign language, as I'm partially deaf, so just ask for any help I can give you.

Oh right I've done BSL for 4 years now at my state school with a deaf support centre and it's been really interesting. I'm using the BBC programme See Hear to base my Bill on as there's proposals up North for a BSL Act and I think Scotland has got the closest to getting one established but TSR can be there first!

[Mazzini]

I agree, except I believe it should start at a younger age, in Year 3 at least.

[RoryS]

(Original post by Mazzini)
I agree, except I believe it should start at a younger age, in Year 3 at least.

I agree, otherwise it won't be as helpful in later life.

[Fool In The Rain]

(Original post by toronto353)
The problem is the time. Many primary schools just don't have the time to focus on languages as much as I perhaps believe that you think that they should. Many children also struggle to read (and this is more common in primary school). Given the way that reading is taught in primary schools, it will be difficult to teach English and then another language. I see your point, but it risks either leaving children behind in English even more or limiting it to those who can read which creates difficulties because what do the schools then do when those who can read learn other languages? Do the children who are struggling begin to catch up? If so, who teaches both classes? It creates a strain on resources. I completely see your point, but it isn't feasible.


I like this petition though. The part about inspections seems harsh to me. Should we really be involving the police? Isn't it a waste of their time?

But, if you look at Finland, which achieve some of the best results in the world! They start school at 7-8 years (compulsory) and are expected to learn two languages as well as their native tongue and they finish school at 16. Yet, the way they do education, I highly doubt the UK could pull it off. Their education system seems so perfect (probably because they have small classrooms and a lack of homework ).

[Iamelectrogirl]

Absolutely couldn't agree more!
I take German A level, but I didn't start German until secondary school, did three hours a week, passed the GCSE in yr 9, and then was told that school wouldn't offer it to higher GCSE.
My parents were furious (it was my best subject) but my headmaster said to them 'Well, she already has a C so why would she carry on?'.
Schools just don't value languages and don't like people taking them in case they f*ck up their results.
Eventually a teacher took pity on me and started a group before school once a week, where I eventually got an A and moved school to take the A level.