Pupils taking foreign languages fall by 50%

New school dining rooms in the war on sausage rolls

PUPILS are to be offered ‘restaurant-style’ dining rooms in a radical attempt to tackle obesity.

An NHS report has demanded an overhaul of ‘unappealing’ canteens, with ‘cheap moulded chairs and no natural light’.

It says more attractive eating areas would encourage children to stay in school for their lunch, instead of heading out of the gates to buy chips, burgers and fries, pizzas or sausage rolls.

A leading headteacher insisted schools recognised changes were needed and are already taking steps, particularly with new buildings.

That will see canteens increasingly resemble ‘hip’ high street diners, with children able to choose where and with whom they sit, and even the freedom to eat in other parts of the school, with social areas in a PE or music block, for example.

Jim Thewliss, general secretary of School Leaders Scotland, oversaw the planning for a new Harris Academy in Dundee last year while headteacher, with facilities aimed at keeping pupils on site.

He said: ‘In all designs of buildings kids’ interests and socialising were very important.

‘Dining areas are no longer one big dining hall. We are taking it away from the institutional dining hall to a modern cafeteria environment. It’s not giving them an excuse not to stay, but giving them an attractive space so they want to stay.’

THE number of pupils studying modern languages has plummeted in ten years, according to figures which shine fresh light on the crisis in Scotland’s education system.

Entries for exams in French, German and Italian have more than halved in only a decade.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority figures represent the latest classroom slump under the SNP, after falling academic standards.

In 2006, the year before Alex Salmond became First Minister, there were 57,700 modern languages exams taken at Standard Grade.

Last year, only 23,032 started the Curriculum for Excellence equivalent at National 3, 4 and 5 – a 59 per cent drop.

The decline has gathered pace in recent years with the roll-out of Curriculum for Excellence.

The biggest decline has been in traditional foreign languages.

French has fallen from 39,595 to 12,898, German from 12,326 to 2,810, and Italian from 868 to 491.

Not one pupil learned Russian last year, while even the SNP’s pet favourite, Gaelic, was down by more than half, to 211.

There was a rise in Spanish – from 4,115 to 6,159 – and Chinese languages, from none to 187.

Scottish Labour, which uncovered the figures, said the Scottish Government was limiting children’s opportunities in the world.

Daniel Johnson, Scottish Labour education spokesman, said: ‘It is worrying to see such a huge decline in the number of pupils sitting modern language courses since the SNP came to power.

‘The SNP talks about connecting Scotland with the world, but that can only happen if people are equipped with the languages they need.

‘In the 21st Century, the workforce is becoming more global and economic growth here in Scotland depends on interaction with our European neighbours.’

The figures are the latest evidence of problems in Scottish schools. Pupils have dipped in international rankings, behind peers in Scandinavia, western Europe, and former Soviet Bloc countries.

Nicola Sturgeon has insisted education is her priority, and she should be judged on whether or not she can ‘significantly’ close the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils before the next Scottish elections in 2021.

But Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said: ‘Parents feel choice has been restricted and options narrowed rather than widened as they had been told to expect under Curriculum for Excellence.’

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘There has been a continued growth in uptake and attainment in languages at both Higher and Advanced Higher level with Higher language entries up 12 per cent since 2007 and Advanced Higher entries up 44 per cent.

‘Language skills are important for children which is why we are committed to enabling all young people to learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue in school through our 1+2 policy.’

IN an ever more interconnected world, young people who learn a second language are at an advantage from the very start of their careers.

The ability to communicate clearly with those from other nations is a prized skill and we should do all we can to encourage schoolchildren to study other tongues.

Yet, despite the value of learning a second language, the number of Scottish children who choose to do so has plummeted over the past ten years. Official statistics show that entries for examinations in French, German, and Italian have more than halved in just a decade.

The SNP’s stewardship of Scotland’s education system has seen it lurch from crisis to crisis, with staffing levels dropping and standards in literacy and numeracy hitting unacceptably low levels.

The Curriculum for Excellence was supposed to give children an education of depth and breadth – an ambition that now seems to have been lost in translation.