Focus on foreign languages, schools urged (From Daily Echo)
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Focus on foreign languages, schools urged
4:00pm Monday 20th February 2012 in Education
By Jon Reeve, Education Reporter
Southampton education boss Councillor Jeremy Moulton
Southampton’S education boss has called on schools to do more to encourage children to study foreign languages.
Jeremy Moulton, pictured, believes encouraging youngsters to learn to speak more languages will help schools record better scores in the Government’s new English baccalaureate measure for league tables, which aims to show pupils are getting a rounded education.
But he also believes it will help promote community cohesion and boost Southampton’s businesses.
Just a quarter of Southampton’s Year 11 pupils were entered for an EBaccqualifying modern language in last year’s GCSEs, compared to 40 per cent in Hampshire schools, which is a similar level to the national average.
Cllr Moulton believes schools should be looking to improve that figure, as well as offering a wider range of languages.
He said: “With the new EBacc coming in, the area that we need to progress is to do more with languages.
“We’re doing well with science, maths and English and I think a lot of schools are starting to focus more on languages.
“I think it’s going to be increasingly important in the future.
“The EBacc is going to become more important as schools look to move up the league tables.”
The EBacc, which has proved controversial because pupils taking GCSEs last year had already chosen their subjects before it was introduced by Education Secretary Michael Gove, is designed to show children are achieving in a range of academic subjects.
As well as English and maths, pupils must gain a grade C or higher in science, history or geography, and a language.
Cllr Moulton said he wants to see children offered the chance to study GCSEs in languages from around the world, with schools working together where only small numbers are interested in a particular subject.
But he believes there are more benefits to encouraging languages in schools than improving league table standings.
He said: “We’re a city of 110 different languages, we’re a port town, we have an airport, and we have the cruise industry with all that goes with it – Southampton is the sort of place where lots of children should be getting a language at GCSE.
“I think it’s important within the community to be better at languages. It’s not just for economic or educational reasons, it’s for social reasons.
“We’re a diverse community and the more children take up languages the more they’re likely to integrate.”
Comments(34)
SotonLad
says...
4:16pm Mon 20 Feb 12
The Salv
says...
4:37pm Mon 20 Feb 12
SotonLad wrote:Why would we need to learn Polish?
As a city with one of the largest Polish communities in the UK Polish would be good to learn.
southy
says...
4:39pm Mon 20 Feb 12
even drop religion out of schools to make way for science
St Retford
says...
4:46pm Mon 20 Feb 12
The Salv wrote:Yer daft racist.
Yes they should encourage pupils to study foreign languages in this country. Let’s start with English!
Shoong
says...
4:50pm Mon 20 Feb 12
European languages can cassez-vous.
The Salv
says...
5:34pm Mon 20 Feb 12
St Retford wrote:More said with tongue in cheek. Mandarin would only come in usefull for those working in important roles and high up positions so probably not a good idea for the average joe in school. Maybe an option for University Students. I would say speaking your neighbours language is the best bet for senior and middle schools but teach the holiday lingo and not in too much depth.
The Salv wrote: Yes they should encourage pupils to study foreign languages in this country. Let’s start with English!Yer daft racist.
bigfella777
says...
5:44pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Mr sheep
says...
6:30pm Mon 20 Feb 12
bigfella777 wrote:I agree there is no point , I think we should teach our youth how to speak clear english first , Im still unable to spell stuff in english and im in my 40s , I speak french better and (I have no need to mug tourists)
Quel est le point de Southampton chavs apprendre le francais? Afin qu'ils puissent voler les touristes?
Paramjit Bahia
says...
6:32pm Mon 20 Feb 12
.
Moulton and his CONservative colleagues should be putting real money where his politically opportunist mouth is.
bigfella777
says...
6:48pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Mr sheep wrote:Totally agree, they should concentrate on stopping the English language from being destroyed first.If I was an employer and a youth came to me speaking like that they would not get a job.
bigfella777 wrote:I agree there is no point , I think we should teach our youth how to speak clear english first , Im still unable to spell stuff in english and im in my 40s , I speak french better and (I have no need to mug tourists)
Quel est le point de Southampton chavs apprendre le francais? Afin qu'ils puissent voler les touristes?
Sovietobserver
says...
7:18pm Mon 20 Feb 12
SotonLad
says...
7:27pm Mon 20 Feb 12
The Salv wrote:So we could chat to them? Not all of them can speak English. Or do you not like Polish people? You don't seem to like many people.
SotonLad wrote:Why would we need to learn Polish?
As a city with one of the largest Polish communities in the UK Polish would be good to learn.
Over the Edge
says...
7:31pm Mon 20 Feb 12
SPIKEISLANDTRADER
says...
7:41pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Condor Man
says...
7:50pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Paramjit Bahia wrote:School budgets for teaching staff are based on pupil numbers. Bright kids capable of learning languages won't need special needs assistants so it won't cost any more.
Nothing wrong with what prominent Tory Cllr. Moulton is saying, but has the Council of which he is a dominant member and his Thatcherite mate Royston Smith is the Leader, budgeted for sufficient resources required for teaching children all the foreign languages he is talking about? I do not think so, because in reality they are committed to implementing unprecedented cuts
.
Moulton and his CONservative colleagues should be putting real money where his politically opportunist mouth is.
You must consider that for 20 years schools in Southampton were blighted by lefties who eroded academic standards out of the curriculum in favour of rubbish like Citizenship and PSHE. Moulton's old school, King Edwards, offers Mandarin Chinese. No wonder parents will mortgage their house to send kids there over the mediocre establishments the state has to offer.
Huffter
says...
7:54pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Sovietobserver wrote:Не много
Говорит здесь кто-нибудь по-русски ?
Fatty x Ford Worker
says...
8:19pm Mon 20 Feb 12
hello121
says...
8:27pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Fatty x Ford Worker wrote:About time the UK stepped up to the mark with language training - and you're right you should start with English first. Some of the comments on here are an embarrassment. It's about time the kids were given the chance to compete on a level playing field, and lear languages like European kids do.
LAND OF PLENTY DOSH SENT HOME EVERY WEEK TO POLAND.
Start them young and immerse them in languages. It's absolutely vital.
Just an observation, but the usual suspects are about tonight.... yawn... coming over here stealing our jobs... twaddle.
Sovietobserver
says...
8:28pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Fatty x Ford Worker wrote:And local Western Union agencys reaping in the commission too.
LAND OF PLENTY DOSH SENT HOME EVERY WEEK TO POLAND.
SotonLad
says...
8:43pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Fatty x Ford Worker wrote:Well they are working for it. If the Brits cant be arsed and the work needs doing!
LAND OF PLENTY DOSH SENT HOME EVERY WEEK TO POLAND.
rightway
says...
9:27pm Mon 20 Feb 12
Sovietobserver wrote:No my cat does not have chicken pox.
Говорит здесь кто-нибудь по-русски ?
loosehead
says...
9:48pm Mon 20 Feb 12
I left school 40years ago but why knock this article surely French or a foreign language must be part of the curriculum?
or is it a case of schools having to pay for interpreters in classes that they had to scrap foreign language classes?
Use to fancy our French female French teacher she was oola la!
freefinker
says...
10:02pm Mon 20 Feb 12
southy wrote:.. it's not too late for you and science southy.
Schools should focus on Maths and the Sciences most of all.
even drop religion out of schools to make way for science
A decade of evening classes and you may just about be reasonably literate in the subject.
southy
says...
1:55am Tue 21 Feb 12
freefinker wrote:hơn nhận thức của các ngành khoa học hơn bạn đã bao giờ là tôi mong đợi
southy wrote:.. it's not too late for you and science southy.
Schools should focus on Maths and the Sciences most of all.
even drop religion out of schools to make way for science
A decade of evening classes and you may just about be reasonably literate in the subject.
loosehead
says...
7:21am Tue 21 Feb 12
southy wrote:did you switch on the Google translator?
freefinker wrote:hơn nhận thức của các ngành khoa học hơn bạn đã bao giờ là tôi mong đợi
southy wrote:.. it's not too late for you and science southy.
Schools should focus on Maths and the Sciences most of all.
even drop religion out of schools to make way for science
A decade of evening classes and you may just about be reasonably literate in the subject.
freefinker
says...
8:43am Tue 21 Feb 12
southy wrote:Giúp tôi được không - tôi có bằng chứng kết luận từ các tập tin của tôi về bài viết của bạn mà bạn biết rất ít về khoa học.Dính vào Trotsky, đó là chủ đề của bạn.
freefinker wrote:hơn nhận thức của các ngành khoa học hơn bạn đã bao giờ là tôi mong đợi
southy wrote:.. it's not too late for you and science southy.
Schools should focus on Maths and the Sciences most of all.
even drop religion out of schools to make way for science
A decade of evening classes and you may just about be reasonably literate in the subject.
mike80
says...
8:51am Tue 21 Feb 12
Mr sheep wrote:Without being branded "racist", I think more should be done to teach the youth of today English, Jeremy!
bigfella777 wrote: Quel est le point de Southampton chavs apprendre le francais? Afin qu'ils puissent voler les touristes?I agree there is no point , I think we should teach our youth how to speak clear english first , Im still unable to spell stuff in english and im in my 40s , I speak french better and (I have no need to mug tourists)
Don't concentrate on expanding to European or Asian (by that I mean the continent of Asia) languages when you are not even teaching children how to speak, write, listen and reason in the primary language of this country, i.e. English.
My sister is a primary school teacher - half of the kids in her class do not speak English as a first language and have trouble communicating in basic English because the parents do not speak the language.
So I say again - bring everyone up to the same standard of English before broadening the curriculum to include a a second or third language.
mike80
says...
8:51am Tue 21 Feb 12
Mr sheep wrote:Without being branded "racist", I think more should be done to teach the youth of today English, Jeremy!
bigfella777 wrote: Quel est le point de Southampton chavs apprendre le francais? Afin qu'ils puissent voler les touristes?I agree there is no point , I think we should teach our youth how to speak clear english first , Im still unable to spell stuff in english and im in my 40s , I speak french better and (I have no need to mug tourists)
Don't concentrate on expanding to European or Asian (by that I mean the continent of Asia) languages when you are not even teaching children how to speak, write, listen and reason in the primary language of this country, i.e. English.
My sister is a primary school teacher - half of the kids in her class do not speak English as a first language and have trouble communicating in basic English because the parents do not speak the language.
So I say again - bring everyone up to the same standard of English before broadening the curriculum to include a a second or third language.
Taskforce 141
says...
9:13am Tue 21 Feb 12
That being said, I wanted to learn a language at school, but the option wasnt there and now i see lots of jobs in a developing field which is dominated by bi-linguists. You can potentially earn a great sum of money if you are proficient in another language.
Also if people want to leave this country for greener pastures then learning the native language of their destination should be essential!
The Salv
says...
9:47am Tue 21 Feb 12
SotonLad wrote:They should be speaking English in the first place if they are living here!
The Salv wrote:So we could chat to them? Not all of them can speak English. Or do you not like Polish people? You don't seem to like many people.SotonLad wrote: As a city with one of the largest Polish communities in the UK Polish would be good to learn.Why would we need to learn Polish?
loosehead
says...
10:42am Tue 21 Feb 12
mike80 wrote:Maybe as they made the choice to come here to live they should as my wife did go to English lessons & only talk it in front of their children.
Mr sheep wrote:Without being branded "racist", I think more should be done to teach the youth of today English, Jeremy!
bigfella777 wrote: Quel est le point de Southampton chavs apprendre le francais? Afin qu'ils puissent voler les touristes?I agree there is no point , I think we should teach our youth how to speak clear english first , Im still unable to spell stuff in english and im in my 40s , I speak french better and (I have no need to mug tourists)
Don't concentrate on expanding to European or Asian (by that I mean the continent of Asia) languages when you are not even teaching children how to speak, write, listen and reason in the primary language of this country, i.e. English.
My sister is a primary school teacher - half of the kids in her class do not speak English as a first language and have trouble communicating in basic English because the parents do not speak the language.
So I say again - bring everyone up to the same standard of English before broadening the curriculum to include a a second or third language.
To help their children's education maybe they should chip in & help pay for a bi-lingual teacher who can do separate lessons in the English language to teach their children & hopefully give them the same chances as the children who already speak fluent English or don't they want their kids to get on in the world?
Scrutinizer
says...
11:02am Tue 21 Feb 12
freefinker wrote:Sorry, What's that in Vietnamese?! ;-)
southy wrote:Giúp tôi được không - tôi có bằng chứng kết luận từ các tập tin của tôi về bài viết của bạn mà bạn biết rất ít về khoa học.Dính vào Trotsky, đó là chủ đề của bạn.freefinker wrote:hơn nhận thức của các ngành khoa học hơn bạn đã bao giờ là tôi mong đợisouthy wrote: Schools should focus on Maths and the Sciences most of all. even drop religion out of schools to make way for science.. it's not too late for you and science southy. A decade of evening classes and you may just about be reasonably literate in the subject.
Scrutinizer
says...
11:20am Tue 21 Feb 12
southy wrote:southy, No, the focus should not be on Maths and sciences "most of all"! The emphasis must always be on communication first. Without language with which to communicate, whether it be the spoken form, written, typed, hand-signed Stephen Hawking blinking or whatever, we can not hope to have any semblance of progressive civilisation for human beings. How exactly do you think Maths and sciences are conveyed to others then? And come to think of it, how would your Bolshevist heroes of old have been able to have spread their oppressive doctrine for the likes of yourself to perpetuate?! Don't down-play the importance of eg. English, just because your own standard is so poor. It's not exactly the greatest message for you to pass on to your grandchildren, is it?
Schools should focus on Maths and the Sciences most of all. even drop religion out of schools to make way for science
The Salv says...
4:02pm Mon 20 Feb 12