MORE than half of England’s secondary schools are poised to end compulsory language learning from the age of 14, a survey has found.

The research also discovered that those schools planning to drop the subjects are more likely to serve poorer catchment areas, suggesting that linguists will be produced in future only by good state schools or the independent sector.

The survey of 393 secondary schools, carried out by The Times Educational Supplement, comes after the publication of a Green Paper earlier this year which contained proposals to make a foreign language optional after 14, instead of compulsory up to 16. At the same time all primary school children from the age of seven would be given an “entitlement” to learn a language, but not until 2012.

Ministers believe that less academic youngsters should be steered towards vocational courses instead of battling vocabulary and conjugations. The survey found that 29 per cent of England’s secondary schools have decided to make languages optional from 14 onwards, rising to 44 per cent in schools with fewer than half of pupils achieving five GCSEs at grades A*-C. A further 25 per cent of all schools are considering doing so.

A National Languages Strategy, outlining the proposals, is due to be announced by the end of the year. Teachers and language experts have welcomed the proposals to introduce primary languages, but are fighting plans to make languages optional for GCSE students.

Earlier this year, the ambassadors of France, Germany, Italy and Spain expressed their disappointment at the prospect of a further decline in the number of British pupils learning their languages to GCSE or A level.

They complained that many continental schools cannot find British partners for foreign exchanges, a situation that they expect to worsen if the proposals are implemented. Britain is the only EU country in which language lessons are not compulsory in primary schools. In Germany a third foreign language will be introduced from the age of 11 and at least one subject will be taught in a foreign language.

A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said: “The Government wants to provide the opportunity for all children to learn a language earlier in life, regardless of their background or social status. The forthcoming National Languages Strategy will help to do this by ensuring that many more young people become involved and enthusiastic about learning a new language while they are still in primary school.

“The recent Green Paper proposed a more flexible curriculum at Key Stage 4 to meet the needs and aspirations of all young people. We proposed that schools would no longer be required to teach modern foreign languages to all pupils, but all schools would be required to ensure that they are available to any pupil wishing to study them.”

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