Written question asked by Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative) on Thursday, 14 October 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 19 October 2010. It was answered by Nick Gibb (Conservative) on Thursday, 4 November 2010 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Languages: Education

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage the teaching of modern languages.

Answer: [holding answer 19 October 2010]: The Government believe that learning a language is important to the social and economic future of the country and to help children understand the world in which they live. We will be announcing more details about a review of the National Curriculum later this year. This review will consider the status of languages at both primary and secondary level. We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest performing countries in the world.On 6 September, in a speech at Westminster Academy, the Secretary of State announced an English Baccalaureate, to include a modern or ancient language as one of the core academic subjects that children should learn at GCSE level, along with English, maths, science and a humanity subject.

Secondary information