§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many maintained secondary schools did not offer study of a modern foreign language to(a) any and (b) all pupils at key stage 4 in the last period for which figures are available. [188038]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe Department does not collate information on the numbers of maintained secondary schools offering modern foreign languages to(a) any or (b) all of their pupils at key stage 4. However, modern foreign languages remained part of the National Curriculum at key stage 4 until the end of the last academic year and as such the Department would have expected all schools to offer modern foreign languages to all pupils at key stage 4.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many language assistants are employed in maintained primary schools; [188039]
(2) what estimate he has made of the percentage of (a) children in maintained schools learning a modern foreign language at Key Stage 2 and (b) maintained primary schools teaching a modern foreign language at Key Stage 2. [188040]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThese data are not collected centrally by the Department. We have commissioned baseline research into modern foreign language teaching and learning at Key Stage 2. This report, which was originally planned to be published earlier in the year, will now be published at the end of September. The report will give an indication of these figures, at the time of the survey in 2003.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when his Department will issue an invitation to tender for the operation of the voluntary recognition system for language skills. [188041]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggFollowing a tendering exercise, the contract for the operation of the voluntary recognition system for languages was awarded to the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) in February 2004.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when his Department will introduce the voluntary recognition system for language skills; and which languages will be covered. [188042]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggFollowing a limited pilot in 2004/05, the first suite of external qualifications for the voluntary recognition system for language skills—The Languages Ladder—will be nationally available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Punjabi, Spanish and Urdu in the academic year 2005/06. A wider range of languages will be on offer from 2006/07 and additional languages will be added to the scheme in subsequent years.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what budget his Department has allocated for the voluntary recognition system for language skills for(a) 2004–05, (b) 2005–06 and (c) 2006–07. [188043]
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§ Mr. Stephen Twigg£2 million has been allocated for the development and operation of the voluntary recognition system for language skills for each of the years 2004–05 and 2005–06. Until a decision on the allocation of the latest spending r eview settlement is made, it is not possible to say how much funding has been allocated for 2006–07.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the work of the National Director for Languages. [188044]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggDr. Lid King, previously Director of CILT—The National Centre of Languages, was appointed National Director for Languages in September 2003. Dr. King plays a key role in the implementation of the Government's National Languages Strategy, giving strategic direction, stimulating and co-ordinating action across all sectors, and championing languages in general. He works closely with key stakeholders in primary, secondary, further and higher education, adult learning and business.
§ Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what budget was available to the National Director for Languages in 2003–04; and what budget will be available to that office for financial years(a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06. [188045]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggThe National Languages Strategy is supported by dedicated investment which will rise to £10 million per year by 2005–06. In 2003–04, £4 million was available and in the current financial year, 2004–05, £8 million is available.