This page is concerned with our activities and with current policy-related announcements concerning languages. For more general updates on languages please access one of our partners' excellent websites.
|
|
Launch of Lingu@net Worldwide |
 |
 |
 |
|
Other News
|
The new Lingu@net Worldwide website was launched at the Instituto Cervantes in Madrid last week. The new website offers a wealth of catalogued online resources for language learners and teachers with guidance and support for adult language learners. The site can now be accessed in 32 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese and Russian.
You can let us know what you think about the new site on the feedback form or get involved by recommending a resource.
This project is supported by the EU Commission Lifelong Learning Programme.
|
|
|
The National Languages Strategy for England |
|
|
|
|
NLS News
|
|
Wednesday, 11 May 2011 23:00 |
|
'In the knowledge society of the 21st century, language competence and intercultural understanding are not optional extras, they are an essential part of being a citizen'
In 2011 the new Government withdrew support from the National Languages Strategy. In future nearly all funding is to be devolved to schools. Pending the Curriculum Review only some limited central support for languages is to be retained.
The National Languages Strategy - Languages for All: Languages for Life A strategy for England was launched at the end of 2002 after a long period of consultation and on the basis of advice from many quarters. It had three overarching objectives:
- To improve the learning and teaching of languages
- To introduce a recognition system
- To increase the number of people studying languages
The Strategy was further strengthened by The Languages Review (of 2006/7 which proposed a range of policies and actions to strengthen language capability and take-up in schools. Many of these were implemented, at least partially, between 2007 and 2010.
For an overview of the progress made between 2002 and 2010 and a perspective on the future, please click here. |
|
Speak to the Future Campaign for languages |
|
|
|
|
Featured News
|
A new campaign, called Speak to the Future, has been launched with the support of over 30 organisations. The campaign calls for urgent action on policy to safeguard and revitalise language learning across all phases of education in order to boost educational and career opportunities for young people and our ability to compete in the global economy. Campaigners have united to send a powerful public message highlighting the vital national importance of foreign language capacity in today's global world.
Baroness Jean Coussins, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on modern languages, welcomed the campaign and said: ‘A national languages recovery programme is needed to improve the quality of our children's education, their future employment prospects and the influence of the UK on the international stage. ‘
The campaign has five key aims, designed to create a coherent approach to language learning across all phases of education:
- Every language valued as an asset
- A coherent experience of languages for all children in primary school
- A basic working knowledge of at least two languages including English for every child leaving
- secondary school
- Every graduate qualified in a second language
- An increase in the number of highly qualified linguists
Further details are available from http://www.speaktothefuture.org/
|
|
|
The Wolf report on Vocational Education published |
|
|
|
|
Other News
|
|
Thursday, 03 March 2011 00:00 |
|
The Wolf report on Vocational Education was published on March 3, 2011. It considers how vocational education for 14- to 19-year-olds can be improved in order to promote successful progression into the labour market and into higher level education and training routes.
Key recommendations in the report include:
- incentivising young people to take the most valuable vocational qualifications pre-16, while removing incentives to take large numbers of vocational qualifications to the detriment of core academic study
- introducing principles to guide study programmes for young people on vocational routes post-16 to ensure they are gaining skills which will lead to progression into a variety of jobs or further learning, in particular, to ensure that those who have not secured a good pass in English and mathematics GCSE continue to study those subjects
- evaluating the delivery structure and content of apprenticeships to ensure they deliver the right skills for the workplace
- making sure the regulatory framework moves quickly away from accrediting individual qualifications to regulating awarding organisations
- removing the requirement that all qualifications offered to 14- to 19-year-olds fit within the Qualifications and Credit Framework, which has had a detrimental effect on their appropriateness and has left gaps in the market
- enabling FE lecturers and professionals to teach in schools, ensuring young people are being taught by those best suited.
The full report is available here
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-00031-2011
|
|
New inquiry announced into E-Bac |
|
|
|
|
Other News
|
|
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 00:00 |
|
The Commons Select Committee on Education has announced an inquiry and call for evidence into the English Baccalaureate. The Committee has asked for written submissions by noon on Tuesday 8 March 2011 on the following areas:
- the purpose and benefits of the E-Bac and its value as a measure of pupil and school performance;
- the choice of subjects included in the E-Bac;
- the implications of the E-Bac for pupils, schools and employers;
- international comparators for the E-Bac.
These should be:
- be no more than 3,000 words;
- have numbered paragraphs; and
- (if in electronic form) be in Word format or a rich text format with as little use of colour or logos as possible.
-
Submissions should be sent:
- by e-mail to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
and marked "E-Bac inquiry", or
- by post to: Kathryn Smith, Committee Assistant
Education Select Committee
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London
SW1P 3JA
More information here |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 4 |
