04 July 2008
Modern language teaching in schools leaves pupils ill-equipped to speak the language, school inspectors have concluded.
Ofsted said speaking skills were found to be a particular weakness at both Key Stage Three and Four. Schools provided insufficient opportunities to develop good speaking skills or independent speaking practice and pupils' inability to express what they wanted had a negative effect on their confidence and enthusiasm.
While GCSE results have improved since 2004 and compare well with other subjects, the number of children choosing both GCSE French and German has declined rapidly over this period.
Chief schools inspector Christine Gilbert said: 'Learning a foreign language equips pupils with invaluable skills and can also be a very enjoyable experience.
'Yet many young people are not reaching their full potential, or are deterred from continuing to study languages, because of the way they are taught.' Ofsted's report, published on July 1, also looked at how well primary schools are developing teaching to ensure that all pupils in Key Stage Two will be able to learn a language.
The watchdog found that just over half the primary schools surveyed were making good progress, with enthusiastic teachers and well planned lessons. Last week, schools minister Jim Knight announced that 84% of primary schools are now teaching children foreign languages. French, Spanish and German were the most popular.
Lord Dearing, in his 2007 review of language teaching, recommended that language learning become a statutory part of the primary curriculum and a compulsory part of every child's education for at least seven years.
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