PPLI Audit of Foreign Languages - Flipbook - Page 5
• Gender plays a role in the range of languages offered, with a wider range of languages offered in girls' schools.
German is more likely to be offered in single sex schools than mixed schools with 68% provision in boys’ schools,
69% provision in girls’ schools and 50% provision in mixed schools at Junior Cycle. Spanish is offered in 39%
of girls’ schools, 36% of mixed schools and in 29% of boys’ schools and Italian is provided in 4% of girls’ schools,
3% of mixed schools, and 2% of boys’ schools at Junior Cycle. These patterns are repeated at Senior Cycle. No
boys’ school provides Japanese for Leaving Certificate.
• There are two main reasons for not all students taking a language at JC (Junior Cycle), 57% of those who
commented provided SEN (Special Educational Needs) as the reason and 51% of those who commented stated
that taking a language on the curriculum was optional. In at least 14% of schools, taking a language in Junior Cycle
is optional. The type of school influences whether or not every student studies a foreign language. For example,
in 87% of fee-paying voluntary secondary schools every student must take a foreign language in Junior Cycle,
whereas this is the case in only 59% of ETB schools, 63% of non-fee-paying voluntary secondary schools and 53%
of Community and Comprehensive schools. In girls’ schools students are more likely to study a foreign language
with 76% taking a language in Junior Cycle as opposed to 61% in boys’ schools.
• Transition year offers a wider range of languages. 25% of schools offer Chinese however it should be noted
that 90% of this course focusses on Chinese culture and society and only 10% on the language. Although Italian
is only provided in 3% of schools at both Junior Cycle and for Leaving Certificate Established, it is provided in
6% of schools in Transition Year. Japanese is provided in 7% of English-medium schools and 9% of Irish-medium
schools and Russian is offered in 4% of English-medium schools and 6% of Irish-medium schools.
• The offering of established languages by schools in Junior Cycle through Transition Year and on to Leaving
Certificate is relatively stable and is independent of school size e.g. 31% of small schools offer German at Junior
Cycle and 29% of small schools offer German at Leaving Certificate, 78% of large schools offer German at Junior
Cycle and 77% offer it at Senior Cycle. Spanish shows lower figures for Leaving Certificate than in Junior Cycle
but this may be because it is a new subject in many schools and these schools would not yet have Leaving
Certificate classes.
• There is a relatively high progression rate for those taking a foreign language in the third year of Junior Cycle in
to 5th year though there is some variation according to language. The largest decrease is for French, where the
number of classes in 5th year is half a class less than in 3rd year in all schools except in fee-paying voluntary
secondary schools where the number of classes stays the same.
The number of German classes in 5th year is only one fifth smaller than in 3rd year and this pattern is repeated
in all schools.
Spanish provision reduces by half a class in Community and Comprehensive schools, by one fifth in ETB schools,
in fee-paying schools there is no change, and in non-fee-paying a third of a class less.
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Audit of Foreign Languages Provision in Post-Primary Schools 2017
Post-Primary Languages Initiative February 2017 Draft Report