It would be an absolutely wonderful idea. Slightly harder than typical french because Polish is rather different from English.
However there are students in our schools from asian areas and the different languages from there are not given to many english kids as a foreign language option.

BV, Nuneaton, England

I'm Polish and I think that it would be a good idea. Remember that learning Polish could be only one of your choices - nothing compulsory.

The words you've written here ARE NOT COMMON POLISH WORDS! They are the most difficult ones! We don't use 'przedzierzgnac'. I don't even know what it means!

Justyna, Coventry,

As an educator I must say having polish children in the class helps the children to develop their communication skills. Not only to the polish children quickly pick up some basic english, but the other english speaking children learn ways other than speach to convey their thoughts and ideas.

Daniel, Renfrew, Scotland

James, polish people come here to work, they pay taxes so have a right to say what is taught in schools, some British people don't even work and just live off benefits, it's them that are the problem not the Poles. How many Polish people do you know that don't work? then compare that to the British.

Ricky, Kettering, UK

Having left school two years ago and being given just the standard choice of French, Spanish or German to learn, I would have loved the opportunity to have learned Polish.

However, the reason why schools never will offer Polish is because it is widely renowned as being one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn - I doubt this would do wonders for Labour's league tables and grade inflation.

Laura, Oxford,

Who does Krzysztof Stanowski think he is telling Britain we should learn Polish? I wouldn't live in another country and expect them to learn English.

Maybe his Government would like to contribute to the cost of educating 600,000 of his people and the British tax payer funding interpreters.

James, Bristol, Devon

I think more languages should be taught not because of immigrants, but because of EU member states which are not limited to Germany and France. In the United States, there is a problem with languages being taught because Spanish seems to slowly be gaining a monopoly of languages being taught despite the fact that other world languages have importance. The same should not occur in the UK, and other languages should be taught even if it isn't Polish.

Robert, Sayreville, United States

Why on earth learn a foreign langugage just because of a large immigrant population? This will dissuade integration of a large incoming population into the country they have chosen to call home, for whatever reason. You choose to live somewhere, and you should expect that you will learn to speak their language and adapt to their customs! We are lucky being English native speakers, however, it cannot be imagined that French, German, Spanish, etc speaking countries would expect that an immigrant come to their country and not learn to speak their language?

James, London,

it would be a good idea if Polish people living in England learned to speak English, I live in Poland I had to learn Polish to fit in and to work here. We get no free lessons, no translators except in courts no local councils or any government departments provide any forms or anything else in any other language only Polish.

There are around 20,000 English speakers living in Warsaw alone we dont expect to be given anything for free we chose to live and work here and have families here so we had to learn Polish.

Why oh why do people think they can live in Britain and not learn the language?

Yes teaching it as a language in schools maybe a good idea, however it would be good if Polish people in Britain learned to speak English and assimilate , it seems they expect a lot from the UK government but the Polish government do nothing for immigrants here

swhittle, Warsaw, Poland

Don't they have any schools in Poland any more?

Gerald Dyson, Cheshire,

As a second-generation immigrant, half Irish and half Lithuanian, and also as a retired teacher of French and German, I think this proposal is a bit silly. Has Hilary Davis any idea how much it would cost in terms of administration and teacher training? If one is teaching French or German or Spanish, then by all means let examples of Eastern European languages be used to illustrate the family connections of the European group. But it would not go down at all well with the tax-payer to demand extra public funds for teacher training in Polish or Lithuanian or Czech.

Edmund Burke, Kingston upon Thames, England

Wow! Ha ha ha! The Polish words are much longer and crazier than the English words!! Even for tiny English words like BEE! The Polish deputy foreign minister must be mad! By showing the much longer Polish equivalents, the Times has persuaded me it is a barmy scheme.

The racism in this article, the "laughing at funny foreigners and their funny ways", leaves a bit of a sour taste though.

karl, Oxford,