Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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307. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to develop a new modern languages in primary school initiative; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6435/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the “Say Yes to Languages” initiative has been a great success with almost 430 primary schools participating in the module in the 2021/22 school year and almost 720 schools participating in the 2022/2023 school year. The module allows schools to choose their language based on their own school demographic, with this year’s programme offering 15 languages, including Irish Sign Language (ISL). The initiate is fully funded by my Department and is managed by Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) on behalf of the Department. PPLI provide resources, CPD and support to the participating schools and teachers.

The findings from this project will help inform the introduction of foreign languages at primary level under the new primary curriculum. The Primary Curriculum Framework is due to be published in a number of weeks and will set out the vision, principles and components of the redeveloped primary school curriculum. The framework links with learning experiences provided through the themes of Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Frameworkand connects with the subjects, key skills and statements of learning in the Framework for Junior Cycle. The Framework reflects a shared understanding of, and trust in, the many positive features of education in our primary and special schools, while also providing for the enhancement of learning, teaching and assessment. As developments progress, new curriculum specifications will be developed for the curriculum areas and their associated subjects, including modern foreign languages, and these will be available for the 2025/2026 school year.