On Wednesday 18 December 2002, the Government presented a strategy for languages for England. Entitled Languages for All: Languages for Life, it is available on the DfES website.

The Nuffield Languages Group will comment in detail on the strategy at a later date. In the meantime they have released the following statement.

The Government's strategy for languages acknowledges the need for coherent action to improve national capacity. We welcome the unequivocal statement that language competence and intercultural understanding are not optional extras in the 21st century and that it is time to address the nationÂ's long standing lack of capability in languages. However, we are not convinced that the strategy as proposed will achieve this goal; indeed, we fear that some of its proposals will have the opposite effect.

An early start to language learning is crucial, and we welcome the GovernmentÂ's commitment to introduce languages in all primary schools. Placing primary languages at the centre of the strategy makes sense but, if primary languages are to succeed, a firmer and more precise commitment than is evident in the strategy document will be needed. It is important that the government clarify at an early stage what is meant by providing an Â'entitlementÂ' for all children from age 7. There has to be a commitment that children from all backgrounds should have real and sustained opportunities to learn a language. The risk, of which the government is certainly aware, is that anything short of this will lead to serious inequalities.

We recognise that, if plans for primary languages are to go ahead on a reasonable time scale, not all teaching can be provided by fully qualified teachers. Teachers and language assistants will have to be recruited from a variety of backgrounds by a variety of means. The key will be to ensure high quality training, and we look forward to hearing further details.

The proposed introduction of a new system for recognising achievement in language learning has great promise. The key to success will be to resource the development of these new methods of assessment realistically and to set the right pace for the introduction of the system that is eventually developed.

We deplore the decision to make languages optional at age 14. It is a decision that undermines the coherence of the strategy. It means that even on the most optimistic of estimates, the generation of pupils now at primary and secondary schools will have severely reduced rather than increased experience of language learning. Making languages optional from 14 will inevitably serve to weaken the governmentÂ's own strategy: it sends out the contradictory message that government sees languages as an optional extra, and may have longer term effects on teacher supply. Many able pupils, whose future careers will need languages, will be encouraged to give them up too early.Â"

Four members of the Nuffield Languages Group (Sir Leonard Appleyard, Professor Michael Kelly, Hugh Morgan Williams and Alwena Lamping) were members of the Languages National Steering Group (LNSG), which offered advice to the Department for Education and Skills. The LNSG were not asked to ratify or approve the final Strategy document.


You might also like to read the comments on the strategy from other organisations. We will add to the list as material becomes available.

Association for Language Learning
http://www.all-languages.org.uk/nls2.htm