Vocational importance of languages overlooked in curriculum squeeze

Citation

(2005), "Vocational importance of languages overlooked in curriculum squeeze", Education + Training, Vol. 47 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2005.00447bab.009

Vocational importance of languages overlooked in curriculum squeeze

The move towards a more diverse curriculum for 14-19 year olds has left only a third of schools now requiring students to learn a language in Key Stage 4 – down from 57 per cent a year ago. A report by Cilt, the UK National Centre for Languages, shows that schools in the state sector have been freeing up the curriculum to include vocational subjects without consideration of the vocational relevance of languages.

“This will leave schools short of vital skills and affect the competitiveness of British business,” said Isabella Moore, Cilt director. “With 70 per cent of businesses now involved in some form of international activity, the idea that languages are only for `academic' pupils is short-sighted and damaging to the economy. Languages combine perfectly with options such as business studies and leisure and tourism, yet our report shows that it is precisely these subjects that are squeezing them out. There is an urgent need to rethink language provision in the 14-19 sector and disseminate some of the positive new approaches that the survey has identified.”

Language Trends 2004 presents the results of a survey carried out by Cilt, the Association for Language Learning and the Independent Schools' Modern Languages Association. The report shows a growing gap between state and public schools, with 90 per cent of public schools considering languages as an essential element in the curriculum up to at least 16. However, many schools are already responding to the challenges of 14-19 reform, offering new qualifications, fast-track GCSEs, and more unusual languages to motivate pupils. Chinese, Russian, Japanese and community languages are benefiting from this trend.

German and French are the languages most adversely affected by the move away from languages in state schools, whereas the overall impact on Spanish has been negligible. There is a particular pressure on schools that are, or are hoping to become, specialist colleges in other subjects. The independent sector is reporting a sharp decline in German but a strong growth in Spanish.

More information is available from Cilt, on +44 (0)20 7379 5101.