The language of success

A recent survey made the UK the dunce of Europe when it comes to language skills, putting it bottom, bar Hungary, of a league table of 28 countries.

While an average of 70% of executives in European firms can conduct business in a foreign language, the figure falls to 36% among UK companies. And it could get worse.

Two years ago, the government abandoned compulsory language lessons for 14 to 16-year-olds. However, dropping languages for this age group was already happening by stealth in an increasing number of schools.

CiLT, the National Centre for Languages, carried out a survey last year and found that only one in four schools made learning a language compulsory for pupils over 14. French and German were the languages most affected by the fall in take-up. Only in private and grammar schools did the majority of pupils study a language up to the age of 16. There was also regional variation: with 40% of schools in the South East making languages compulsory compared with 18% in the North West.

Isabella Moore, 57, is director of CiLT, and it is her job to turn this largely monoglot nation into budding linguists. She admits that the dominance of America and its culture, which has made English so widely spoken, means British people rarely have to stray from the comfort zone of their native tongue.

‘But, I also think,’ she said, ‘there is something about the national psyche that makes us reluctant language learners because we are afraid to make fools of ourselves. You do not need to be fluent, you just need to make yourself understood.

‘The other problem is that languages are seen as something just for the elite. There is a perception that they are hard. If you asked a 15-year-old male whether he would rather describe his bedroom in French or do something in media studies…it’s a no brainer. But there are ways to make language learning fun and relevant. That is what schools should be doing.’

Despite the task, Mrs Moore is surprisingly upbeat. ‘There are a lot of good things going on. We have a national languages strategy, which is introducing languages into primary schools. There is a lot of innovation in secondary schools and some great strides in new vocational language courses.

The government is taking it seriously and is making resources available.’

CiLT is playing a major role in the strategy, which aims to give children between the ages of seven and 11 the entitlement to learn a new language by 2010. Lord Adonis, schools minister, said the framework for primary schools is not just about developing a competence in one or more languages, it is about ‘understanding language and identity and developing an international outlook’.

Mrs Moore accepts that many primary teachers are nervous about having to resurrect their rusty French and German, or in some cases start from scratch. She sees it as an interesting challenge. CiLT will be providing 900 trainers, one for every 25 schools.

‘A lot of primary teachers are not confident about teaching languages. There are not many language graduates working in primaries. That is why we will provide training and resources. What is important is to make it sustainable. Schools cannot depend on having the odd teacher who can do it,’ she said.

‘What makes it interesting is that a very different methodology is required when teaching the subject to young children. We will be providing some on-line materials that should engage primary-aged pupils. Having an early understanding of a language lasts throughout your life. You gain confidence.’

There are two schools of thought on how to go about it: either teaching a language to a reasonably high level to enthuse pupils to carry on, or to give them the skills necessary to go on to learn languages.

Mrs Moore said: ‘I can see the merit in both ways. If you reach a certain level of a language you will be keen to carry on. But it is also valuable to have generic skills, for example learning how to communicate and understanding the basic concepts. But what is important is ensuring a continuity between primary and secondary.’

She believes that specialist language schools have a vital role to play, especially in the links they can make with local primary schools. There are 274 specialist language schools. Specialist schools, which are expected to raise between £20,000 and £50,000 in sponsorship (depending on their size), receive an extra £100,000 per year plus £129 per pupils from the government. While they teach the full national curriculum, there is an emphasis on language teaching. The schools also have a remit to share their skills and facilities with the local community.

She said: ‘This can be done by setting up links with primary schools by or focusing on the community languages spoken by the pupils’ parents and getting them involved. Many of the specialist schools are introducing innovative and exciting ways to teach languages. Some are making links with local businesses, for example foreign-owned companies; others are setting up international links with other schools. They are also in the vanguard of introducing a greater variety of languages than the usual French, German and Spanish. Mandarin, Arabic, Dutch and Japanese are being adopted, as well as community languages such as Punjabi and Urdu.’

The CiLT website highlights different events and projects run by language specialist schools. For example, Imberhorne School an 11-18 is a mixed comprehensive in East Grinstead, West Sussex; it used the expertise of a number of its commercial sponsors to take language learning out of the classroom, with an event aimed at Year 9 pupils and invited 20 other schools from the education authority. It put on a number of workshops; in one, headed by GlaxoSmith-Kline, the pupils used computers to design packaging for a new toothpaste in French and German. Complete beginners in Italian were given British Airways uniforms and made to serve food and drink to their passengers and make on-board announcements. Europ Assistance had the 13 and 14 year olds using their language skills to solve the problems of (imaginary) holidaymakers in distress.

Mrs Moore said that making languages relevant takes the fear out of learning the subject. ‘We have a vocational resources bank that further education colleges can use. They can download hairdressing in French or engineering in German. If it means they can understand the words on a German diagram, they are using language skills in a context that makes sense and is a normal part of their course.

‘There is a whole range of different qualifications other than GCSEs and A-levels which can engage youngsters. The new qualifications such as applied French and GVCE language and business have been welcomed by the schools piloting them.’

Mrs Moore has first hand experience of the applied use of languages. After studying at St Andrews and Warsaw universities, she worked for a number of multinational companies in Europe before setting up a translating service for the engineering, petro-chemical and software industries: she soon learned all the parts of a tractor in a number of different languages. From 2002 to 2004 she was the first woman president of the British Chambers of Commerce.

‘I view the glass as half-full rather than half empty,’ she said. ‘The number of schools dropping compulsory languages post-14 appears to be bottoming out and there are so many different exciting schemes going on. Languages are gradually becoming a part of all levels of education. Then there are the Olympics. They must be an opportunity to celebrate language learning.’

Frances Rafferty is News Editor, Times Educational Supplement.