Why do primary schools not teach foreign languages?
Many already do and the rest should be offering some language content at the start of the new term, next week. Delivery is patchy across the country and how it is delivered will vary from school to school – some offer it in after-school clubs, some use colleagues from the local High school, in the majority it is taught by the class teacher/classroom assistant who should have received/been offered some upgrading of language skills OR some, and this is definitely the minority, employ a specialist language teacher, which is the case with me. The bottom line, unfortunately, is always money as very little ‘extra’ cash is being given so the Head has to decide on the best use of limited resources. I have been fortunate enough to be employed by head teachers with languages background themselves who believed that the needs of the children would be best served by a fully-qualified language practitioner, regardless of the cost. My experience is that the majority of children, from Reception to Yea
