Responses to Dearing

Department for Education and Skills (DfES)
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2007_0041

CILT, The National Centre for Languages
http://www.cilt.org.uk/

National Union of Teachers (NUT)
http://www.nut.org.uk/

University and College Union (UCU)
http://www.ucu.org.uk/

CBI (Confederation of British Industry)
http://www.cbi.org.uk/...

Media articles on Dearing

The Independent
Foreign languages to be compulsory from age seven
http://education.independent.co.uk/news/article2352790.ece

Leading article: Revolutionary approach
http://comment.independent.co.uk/leading_articles/article2352784.ece

The Guardian
Chattering classes
Modern languages are increasingly becoming an elite subject, dominated by the middle classes and concentrated at the top universities. Anna Bawden reports
http://education.guardian.co.uk/universitiesincrisis/story/0,,2032140,00.html

Case studies
Case sudies of 4 university languages departments.
http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,2032141,00.html

The Telegraph
Languages will again be made compulsory in secondary schools if a drive to increase the numbers studying them fails, the Government said last night.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/13/nedu13.xml

Exam plan gives 'the basics' in more languages
Children should be allowed to drop traditional French and German GCSEs for exams requiring only a tourist's grasp of foreign languages, according to a Government-backed review.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/13/nedu113.xml

The Times
Comment: Language Handicap
Schools let down their children when they let them off languages
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article1505932.ece

It’s time to talk - in many languages
Teenagers should be free to study a “more flexible” business-oriented GCSE combining up to three languages, under radical proposals to make foreign languages more accessible.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article1506075.ece

Daily Mail
Children of five 'should be taught Somali in schools'
Children as young as five should learn Polish, Afghan and even Somali under plans to shake up language learning.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=441545&in_page_id=1770

The Sun
Foreign lingo bid for kids, 7
LESSONS in foreign languages will be compulsory in primary schools in a new education shake-up.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007110807,00.html

The Mirror
LANGUAGES TO BE A MUST FOR PRIMARY KIDS
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/latest/tm_method=full%26objectid=18742267%26siteid=89520-name_page.html

SCHOOLKIDS MUST LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE AT 7
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_method=full%26objectid=18744520%26siteid=89520-name_page.html

Western Mail
Welsh speakers half-way to a third language
SCHOOLS in Wales can exploit the nation's inherent bilingualism to broaden children's minds and boost an aptitude for languages, experts urged yesterday
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/

Financial Times
Teachers warn on languages push
Making foreign languages compulsory for seven-year-olds will not revive take-up of the subjects at GCSE level unless employers make clear that monoglot school leavers will struggle to find jobs, head teachers warned yesterday.
http://www.ft.com/...

Mandarin lessons give pupils head start
The "get 'em while they're young" approach advocated by Lord Dearing finds ready acceptance at Manchester High School for Girls, where the exam takers of the future - children aged seven to nine - are getting their tongues around one of the languages of the future: Mandarin.
http://www.ft.com/...

The Dearing report

Lord Dearing’s final report on language learning in schools has now been published and is available at the teachernet site.

Lord Dearing has not called for a return to statutory languages for all at Key Stage 4 (14-16) but has recommended that languages should be compulsory in primary schools.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6435885.stm

Academic questions success of specialist schools

The academic achievement of specialist schools has been "seriously overestimated" by the government, an academic claimed this week.
Debbie Andalo

Source: EducationGuardian.co.uk March 6, 2007

Routes into languages: Evaluator needed!

The Routes into Languages Programme invites tenders to evaluate the programme. The evaluator will be required to carry out formative and summative evaluation of the programme as a whole. It is envisaged that work would begin in June 2007 or as soon as possible thereafter and continue to November 2010. The main output will be annual reports to assist the development of the programme and to assess the outputs and impact of the programme in terms of its overall aims.

Full details on LLAS website

English language award winners named

The British Council's claim that the UK is at the forefront of technology when it comes to English language teaching was borne out last night, following the announcement of the winners of its annual innovation awards.

The Guardian, 2 March 2007

Is it 'ciao' to the Masters?

A European agreement intended to harmonise higher education could starve universities in Britain of cash, say MPs. Lucy Hodges reports

The Independent, 1 March 2004