BRITISH children will have lessons on how to speak appropriate English in formal settings, under an overhaul of the curriculum for seven to 11-year-olds, The Times has reported.
The proposals, from Sir Jim Rose, a former head of Ofsted (Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator), place a strong emphasis on teaching children to "recognize when to use formal language, including standard spoken English". These include how to moderate tone of voice and use appropriate hand gestures and eye contact.
The reforms come in response to concern that an increasing number of British children suffer from "word poverty" and are unable to string together a coherent sentence by the time they start school. A British government-backed report by the Conservative MP John Bercow found last year that in some areas up to 50 percent of the school-age population had speech and language difficulties. There are also growing demands from employers for schools to emphasize skills in spoken English, amid evidence that some school-leavers lack confidence in basic tasks such as speaking confidently on the telephone to a stranger.
Sir Jim said schools should pay serious attention to speaking and listening as subjects "in their own right", and help children who start school already having to catch up because they do not have the right language skills. This can have severe effects on their ability to learn and make friends.
Sir Jim added that his recommendations would build on the ￡40 million ($58 million) Every Child a Talker program launched last year to provide intensive language support for children.
Bernard Lamb, President of The Queen's English Society, pointed out the reforms are urgently needed. "I am strongly in favor of the explicit teaching and examining of English grammar, spelling and punctuation. Children must be brought up to recognize that there is a formal structure to the language," he said.
