The way foreign language learning is delivered in primary schools is to change. French will continue to be taught to children in Years 5 and 6, with lessons for Years 3 and 4 being gradually phased out. From September 2011 the modern languages service will have seven staff focused on delivering French to Years 4, 5 and 6. From 2012 lessons will be exclusively for Years 5 and 6. The new focus will be on improving the transition of language learning from primary to secondary school with the development of a new curriculum that measures children’s progress effectively across primary and secondary key stages while continuing to enthuse and engage them in foreign language learning. It is hoped that eventually the reorganisation of the service could lead to secondary school pupils being given opportunities to enter for nationally recognised qualifications earlier in their language learning careers, ie, at the end of Year 9. The fiscal challenge facing the Island, which means the Department must increasingly focus its resources on areas it is statutorily obliged to deliver, is one of the reasons for the change. It is also hoped that the modern language service will be able to offer some support to schools wishing to continue to offer a level of language learning to younger pupils in the future. Stuart Dobson, Chief Executive Officer of the DEC, said: ‘The reorganisation of the modern language service will make some savings at a time when we are adjusting to the current, widely recognised financial challenges and we are not disguising that fact. ‘We have consulted schools widely over the last two years on where efficiencies can be made. While no change such as this will be universally popular, we have taken the opportunity, with the need for this reorganisation, to look at how we deliver French across the primary and early secondary phases and we believe that through a well-focused programme, children will achieve very well in developing their modern language skills.’ Every effort will be made to redeploy the five staff affected by the reorganisation to other roles within the DEC. Ends