Spanish Rises to Become the Most Popular Language Taught in Schools Throughout Northern Ireland
The study of the school plan says that kids in Northern Ireland get less time for learning languages than any other place in Europe. The study was done by a lone pro, Lucy Crehan, for the Education group. Spanish has now passed French to become the number one language taught in the schools there for the first time.
The report also tells that more kids are now learning Irish, with about four out of 10 older schools teaching it. The British Council oversees language teaching in all schools there for the Language Trends study, which is conducted biannually.
Young kids in Northern Ireland do not have to learn a second language. In 2015, the education group decided to cut the plan for teaching more languages to young kids due to budget cuts. Some young kids' schools team up with others nearby to offer language classes.
Currently, schools often have to find and pay for their own language classes. Yet, the lone review undertaken by the education group says we should teach more languages at the upper primary level. It takes a dim view of the fact that kids in Northern Ireland have the shortest amount of language learning time in Europe.
"The teaching of other languages must start during Key Stage 2, focusing on learning how to learn a language rather than having to teach a set language," the report said.
In Northern Ireland, the top four language and study picks for school are French, German, Irish, and Spanish. There are some schools where Arabic, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, and signing are offered, too. Kids in Cliftonville Integrated Primary School to the north of the city can learn Mandarin.
Mr. Fletcher said there were 15 different languages spoken at his school, and if children learn one, it actually helps them in other school areas. "Very young ones learn fast," he said. "You'll see it help in other spots."
Dr. Ian Collen of Queen's University Belfast was involved in the Language Trends study. He is glad that the new school curriculum has laid down languages other than English as a compulsory subject in primary schools. "In recent years we've heard a few schools have been dropping French in favor of Spanish," he explained. "Our work now has definitive figures showing Spanish overtook French for the first time among the 11-14-year-old age group. Spanish seems to be an easy language for new learners, but it has to stay alongside many languages in schools."
Jonathan Stewart, who runs the British Council in Northern Ireland, said the study "makes it clear that there are still roadblocks that we have to fix." He said, "More Spanish in our schools matches what's going on around the world, but it also shows a change in what students want and what schools offer. This change is happening at the same time as we see less French," he said. He added, "It's good to see more people into Spanish and Irish, but the slow loss of French and German worries us because it means fewer options for our young folks."
