Michael Gove proposes teaching foreign languages from age five

Secretary of Education outlines the plans before the Conservative conference, including extending the school day and school absenteeism stiffer fines

Read the interview with Michael Gove

Education Secretary Michael Gove, has proposed that all children aged five years or more should learn a foreign language, and vowed to "pull all the levers" and encourage long day of school for this to happen.

In an interview at the conference pre-conservative, who said: "It's not a slam-dunk case for extending the teaching of foreign languages ??to children five years

"Just as some people have taken a perverse pride in not understanding the math, so we took a perverse pride in the fact they do not speak foreign languages, and we only talk stronger in English. This is literally the case of language learning makes you smarter. neural networks in the brain to increase as a result of language learning. "

In the interview also:

. Encourage schools to follow the example of academies by extending the school day, such as adding additional learning five hours per week -. Or six weeks per year

. Get tougher, less resources, fines for parents of repeated absences on parental income is required "on satellite TV, cigarettes and alcohol" and not be taken into account in setting the fine. It also offers schools and local authorities are entitled to bring legal action against parents of truant.

. He says he is ready for the political flak when the fall of level of performance, probably next year due to the introduction of a difficult test, including the less clogged.

. Urges that his party does not meet the constraints of coalition with the Liberal Democrats, "do what most of our atavistic festive atmosphere." He insisted that the relationship of the Democrats conservative liberals "should be beyond the grave, and rather than understand and be grateful for what they bring."

the argument that the entire education system must be redirected towards language teaching, Gove said he expects the review of the national program to see if there should be more about special education in primary schools.

He said almost all other advanced teaching children a foreign language at the age of five, adding Britain "must set itself the ambitious, but the goal is not impossible. "

• "One of the problems we have in education, and as a country, is that we are too insular for too long."
• Gove said that the reform will require changes in teacher education and encourage schools to take over the chain of schools to promote languages.

Gove said that schools in some deprived areas, such as parts of Nottingham, and teaching Spanish at the age of five, and if it was possible that these schools should be possible across the country.

"If we pull all the levers, changes in teacher training, to help schools to support the training of others to go this way, the language schools that have the potential to take low-performing schools, and proceed to the revision of the curriculum in the right direction, then we can move towards the goal. The number of pupils sitting GCSE language one fell 444,700 in the summer of 1998 to 273,000 in 2010. Learning a foreign language and culture that accompanies it, is one of the most useful things we can do to increase empathy and sympathy and imaginative cultural perspectives of children. "

Gove also said: "One problem we have is that children do not attend school long enough during the day and throughout the year."

said he encouraged the private schools and colleges use the freedoms that are given to extend the day, adding that it is very popular with parents and give children the opportunity to a learning experience.

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