Sir, If Charles Bagnall (letter, Sept 12) knows of a school where modern languages include grammar lessons, he should let us know where it is. One year before my oldest son’s GCSE exam, I asked him and his younger brother to give me a French sentence beginning with the word “nous”. Neither of them could, because in four and three years of French respectively neither had been taught to conjugate the regular verb. I learnt this in lesson one at secondary school. Goodness knows what they were taught.
I deplore the fact that none of my children has been given the opportunity to enjoy a foreign language and its literature, but this is not because they had too many grammar lessons.
Both sons passed the GCSE comfortably, of course.
MATT BAYNHAM
Liverpool Hope Univesity
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Sir, Children have come to feel that foreign languages are odd-sounding, difficult and unnecessary.
Foreign assistants in infant and junior schools could alter this. At this stage in life children absorb language like sponges, but by the age of 11 this capacity is greatly diminished. A great opportunity is being lost.
DONALD GRAHAM
East Boldon, Tyne and Wear