Latin lessons demanded for all seven-year-olds
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.JUDITH JUDD
Education Editor
Primary-school children might benefit from learning Spanish or even Latin, the Government's chief curriculum adviser said yesterday.
Dr Nick Tate, chief executive of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority, was speaking at a conference on the role of modern languages in the primary curriculum.
Today the conference will hear from classicists who say that learning Latin from the age of seven improves children's English and particularly their grammar.
Jean Cross, from St John's primary school in Camborne, Cornwall, will demonstrate how she teaches Latin to seven-year-olds. She says their use of language improves dramatically.
Dr Tate made it clear that the authority has not yet decided its policy on languages in primary schools. Both the Government and Labour have promised that there will be no big curriculum changes before 2000, though Labour wants modern languages to be compulsory in primary schools.
Dr Tate said that if a language were to be made compulsory, it had to be decided which it should be. There might be a case for Latin as a basis for other languages, or for Spanish which was spoken by far more people world-wide than French.
"Are there benefits from heightening their awareness of language that survive the transfer from one language to another?" he asked. "What are the particular benefits from an early study of Latin, not least in laying the foundations for a later study of the Romance languages?
Later he said: "France has traditionally occupied a special place in England's consciousness, not least because of the history we have shared from medieval times and the constant cultural exchange between the educated classes. But should this continue?"
Peter Jones of Friends of Classics said that research in the United States in the Seventies showed that a little regular Latin for 10-year-olds advanced their spelling, their knowledge about words and their reading.
Barbara Bell, secretary of the Joint Association of Classical Teachers, who will address the conference in London today, said the association was producing materials to teach Latin to pupils aged between seven and eleven. "We are suggesting schools might offer half an hour's Latin a week. Of course this would be optional."
The National Union of Teachers said that the demands of the primary national curriculum were already heavy. The union added that the proposal would necessitate a big investment in teacher-training.
Leading article, page 19
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments