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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, SPORT AND CULTURE BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 25th SEPTEMBER 2012
Question
Following the broad support in his response to questions on 11th September 2012, for the improvement of access to modern foreign languages (MFL) in Jersey schools, will the Minister agree to produce a report on the teaching of MFL in schools to include for the period 2002-2012 –
- the range of languages available in Jersey schools to GCSE and A/A2 levels
- the numbers of classes and of students taking GCSE and A/A2 level in MFL
- the number of students going on to study MFL at degree level
- a breakdown of results at GCSE and A/A2 level
- an analysis of what policy decisions have contributed to the trends revealed by these figures?
- what policy measures might contribute to increasing/improving the teaching of MFL over the period of the Medium Term Financial Plan to 2015 to include a review of the use of modern language teaching assistants and the removal of class size restrictions on class size at exam level?
Answer
The Education Sport and Culture Minister is required by law to establish a balanced and broadly based' basic curriculum for children of compulsory school age. Modern foreign languages are included. French is compulsory from Key Stage 2 in primary school to the end of Key Stage 3 in secondary school. French is not compulsory at GCSE but has to be offered by all schools and approximately 60% of pupils take it to exam level. Schools have the flexibility to offer a range of other languages and this is driven by student demand.
The Jersey Curriculum, which is based on the UK National Curriculum but tailored to Jersey requirements, is constantly under review by the Curriculum Council, which I chair and which comprises head teachers, teachers, Professional Partners and ESC officers. Work is already under way on a broad curriculum review, which will look at other jurisdictions and will have to take into account the changes to the UK exam system, particularly the proposed introduction of the English Baccalaureate. This work will include all subjects.
I do support an increase in the uptake of modern foreign languages but want to avoid taking a piecemeal approach to curriculum change, especially at a time when the UK exams system is undergoing such fundamental change. I would like to look at modern foreign languages in the context of an overall curriculum review.