Written answers
Wednesday, 22 January 2025
Department of Education and Skills
School Curriculum
Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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552. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools that have indicated that they will offer classes in Foreign languages from September 2025; and the languages offered [46749/24]
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Primary Curriculum Framework, published in March 2023, sets out the direction for the redeveloped Primary Curriculum. The inclusion of modern foreign languages (MFL) at stages 3 and 4 (3rd to 6th class), which was strongly supported in the consultation process, forms part of this redeveloped Primary Curriculum.
The new specifications for the full redeveloped curriculum will be published in Sept 2025. The professional learning programme to support teachers with the redeveloped curriculum will commence with an introductory year in 2025/26. This will familiarise teachers with the foundational aspects of the curriculum specifications through the lens of the Primary Curriculum Framework. The support provided in that year will lay the foundation for implementing the curriculum specifications, including MFL.
Starting in the 2026/2027 school year, schools will receive support to integrate key teaching approaches across the curriculum, along with support in specific curriculum areas with some choice provided to schools as to which curriculum areas to begin with, to suit their own particular contexts. At this time, it is envisioned primary teachers will be provided with the necessary training and upskilling to deliver the redeveloped curriculum, including the modern foreign language element of the Primary Language Curriculum, over 5 to 6 years.#
MFLs will be introduced to the Primary Curriculum on a phased basis. The draft specification is available on the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) website: Language | NCCA. At Stage 3, (3rd and 4th class), MFL focuses on building an awareness of languages and cultures. This builds a solid foundation in preparation for learning a third language (L3). At Stage 4, (5th and 6th class) children learn to communicate at a very basic/basic level in the L3 while continuing to develop an awareness of languages and cultures. Schools may select the language they offer based on their resources and demographic.
MFLs are currently a feature of the curriculum at primary school level in all other European Union countries. Many of our Irish primary schools have participated in the Say Yes to Languages sampler module since it began in 2021/22. Over 1,400 primary schools from across the country are participating in the module (which runs for 10 weeks teaching 16 different languages) in the current year. The response to the sampler module, which lays the foundation for the introduction of MFL at primary level, has been enormously positive from parents, pupils and teachers. In the short term, the module will continue to be supported while teachers are being upskilled to teach MFL.
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