LAST week, Education Secretary Alan Johnson announced languages would become compulsory for primary schools when the primary National Curriculum is next reviewed.

This will mean at least seven years' language learning for every child in the country, in a bid to help youngsters catch up with their counterparts abroad.

The announcement follows the report by Lord Dearing and Dr Lid King, the national director for languages at the Department for Education and Science, which recommended languages become a compulsory part of the curriculum from seven to 14, a three-year blueprint of fresh measures to secure a renaissance of languages in secondary schools, and an annual budget of more than £50m a year to support teaching in primary and secondary schools and to help fund supporting organisations.

Mr Johnson said: "I want languages to be at the heart of learning. That's why I accept Lord Dearing's recommendation that we look to fully embed languages in the primary curriculum when it is next reviewed.

"The earlier you start learning a language the better. Making language study compulsory from seven to 14 will give pupils seven years to build up their knowledge, confidence and experience.

"By the time they reach Key Stage 4 pupils will have built up a critical mass of knowledge - and hopefully a love - of languages."

The news has received a positive response from headteachers in Worcester, and many schools were already one step ahead of the game.

Warndon Primary School has already started including modern foreign languages in its own curriculum, despite it not being compulsory at the moment.

Children have added to their studies with an authentic French breakfast from a Malvern French bakery, as well as taking part in projects to explore different countries, using maps and the internet.

Clare Delevante, a Year 5 teacher who has an interest in modern foreign languages, said they currently offered French in the curriculum for Years 3, 4 and 5, who have one hour of French a week with a visiting teacher, as well as a German after-school club.

She said: "The children really enjoy it. They do some writing, but it's more speaking it and oral work. I think as early as possible is better with languages."

At Cherry Orchard Primary School, Worcester, headteacher Jeremy Harwood said they had introduced languages, but only as a trickle at the moment.

He welcomed the Government announcement, but voiced reservations about the practicalities of making languages compulsory.

"It's absolutely the best time for introducing languages. Its a shame they are stopping earlier in secondary schools but hopefully children will be gripped enough to keep them going," he said.

"It's a great opportunity for children. The only problem for primary schools is fitting them in with every other initiative that comes our way. It's going to take a lot of work to fit everything in and juggle it again with the curriculum to get it in place."

Languages already play an important role at private school King's Hawford, near Worcester, with children enjoying a whole French day, including French food, and songs and a boules competition.

Headteacher Jim Turner said: "We wanted to bring our French teaching alive and this seemed the best way. This morning our assembly was delivered in French with French songs playing as the children arrived."

He said King's Hawford introduced French at the age of four, with regular French lessons, at first concentrating on the spoken language, continuing throughout infant and junior years.

Mr Turner added: "It is essential that children learn a foreign language from an early age. Our children make really good progress because they are learning a new language at the same time as they are learning their own language.

"Our capacity to learn a new language diminishes as we get older. Eleven is far too old to be starting to learn a language and even the proposed age of seven is thought by many to be too late.

"If we are to be serious about introducing a foreign language we have to regard it as important and begin as soon as we can."

It's good for us, says business

Business leaders have welcomed the news that languages will be compulsory in primary schools.

CBI deputy director-general John Cridland said: "Many businesses value young people with foreign languages highly - in traditionally-studied languages such as French and German, but also those of rapidly emerging economies, such as Spanish and Chinese. But at present too few young people are entering work with these skills.

"Making it compulsory for seven to 14-year-olds will embed the skill when it matters most and emulate other European countries, where learning languages from an early stage is the norm.

"GCSE languages curricula must also be made more engaging and relevant for pupils."