08 August 2003
Accusations that England's schools are not doing enough to promote foreign languages were countered by the government this week, with the publication of new figures showing that almost three-quarters of 15-year-olds are studying at least one alternative language.
A study by the Department for Education and Skills, published on August 4, provides a breakdown of the numbers of GCSE students studying French, German or Spanish across all local education authorities.
Overall, 74% are studying at least one foreign language. French is the most popular choice, with 51% of all students, with German (21%) beating Spanish (8%) in popularity.
Rutland in Leicestershire has the highest number of language students, with 87% of all pupils studying at least one of the three GCSE subjects. Inner London schools are among the worst performers. Tower Hamlets has the lowest number of language pupils (34%), while Southwark (51%) and Hackney (52%) are also near the bottom of the league table.
But while the figures for 15-year-olds are impressive, schools' minister Stephen Timms acknowledged that more must be done to promote language learning at an earlier age. He said: 'We need to create a thirst for languages in our primary schools and we want children to have the chance to learn a foreign language much earlier.'
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