Written question asked by Lord Quirk (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Hill of Oareford (Conservative) on Friday, 3 December 2010.

Schools: GCSEs

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 1 November (WA 367-8), how they propose to respond to the decline in the number of pupils entered for GCSE examinations in foreign languages in English schools throughout the period 1995-2009.

Answer: 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 favourably 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. We expect this to lead to an increase in take up of languages at key stage 4. Detailed proposals will be announced later this year.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 3928; 722 c504WA
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Schools: GCSEs
Monday, 1 November 2010
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Languages GCSE
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk