Languages: Secondary Education

Mr. Laws
To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many secondary schools have set a benchmark to increase the number of key stage 4 pupils taking a modern language; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight
Since my reply of 12 November 2007 to the hon. Member no further research has been carried out concerning this benchmark. However at the end of September we will start a three-year evaluation, reporting in July 2011, looking at what impact the measures recommended in the Languages Review have had on take up at key stage 4, including looking at how many secondary schools have set the 50-90 percentage benchmark.