Pupils 'let down by languages decline'

The numbers of teenagers choosing to study a language at age 14 fell again this year, continuing a downward trend which began after the Government made the subject optional in 2002.

The proportion of schools where more than half of pupils are studying a language dropped five per cent from 45 per cent in 2008-09 to 40 per cent in the current academic year, according to the latest Language Trends survey from CILT, the National Centre for Languages.

It found the decline was not due to lack of interest among students, but the structure of education for pupils over 14, which gives pupils a vast choice of qualifications and puts pressure on schools and pupils to take courses which will guarantee top grades and in turn boost league table scores.

Many schools are abandoning the Government's benchmark to have 50-90 per cent of pupils continuing with a language at GCSE level, saying it is simply "unrealistic" when students are given so much choice.

CILT chief executive Kathryn Board said she was "saddened" at the decline shown in this year's results,

"It saddens me for the very simple reason that I think in the longer term we are disadvantaging our young people for a world of employment. Once they have finished their formal education and are out looking for jobs without languages we can't support them in a life of employment."

This has a knock-on effect on the British economy, particularly during a recession.

Ms Board said students are missing out on the "pleasure" of speaking with someone in another language, learning about different cultures and communities and building inter-cultural relationships.

The "intellectual enrichment" of learning another language is "alive and kicking in the independent sector but in the state sector seems to be dropping quickly", she said.

"That elitism bothers me because languages are meant to be for all. Everybody should have the opportunity."