Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Labour). It was answered on Thursday, 28 January 2010.

Education: Language Trends Survey

Question: Speaking from the Back Benches, and going to the original point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, about the transition from primary to secondary, does my noble friend agree with me that the most important thing in embedding a love of language in young children is that it should be enjoyed for its own sake and not as a means to an end? In what ways are the Government encouraging primary school teaching to instil a spirit of enjoyment in those who learn languages?

Answer: I thank my noble friend for that question. I absolutely agree with her. We know that compulsory language learning in secondary education did not guarantee success. CILT, the National Centre for Languages, is spreading best practice on imaginative approaches to teaching foreign languages. Schools are adopting interesting approaches. A school in Devon is introducing French into the teaching of physical education and there are other examples of schools teaching languages alongside other subjects to sustain interest in learning languages.

Secondary information