Edinburgh primary pupils to study two foreign languages

Every pupil in Edinburgh is to receive lessons in two foreign languages by the time they leave primary school, council officials have announced.

The new scheme called 1+2 is due to start in 2017 - three years ahead of a national deadline set for 2020.

Core languages including French, Spanish, Mandarin as well as Gaelic, Polish and Farsi will be on offer.

Pupils will learn a second language from P1 and have experience of a third language from P5.

Paul Godzik, Edinburgh city council education convener, said: "This is an exciting time for languages in our schools and Edinburgh is leading the way.

"Thanks to the expansion of our 1+2 provision we are beginning to see just how much languages can enrich wider learning and raise the bar on the kind of education we offer our young people from their early years.

"German is becoming increasingly popular and we have a number of strong partnerships in place with Mainz University, Goethe Institute and the University of Edinburgh German Ambassador project.

"The cognitive, cultural and economic benefits of language learning are all key drivers in our commitment to their introduction from nursery across all our schools by the end of next year.

"It is fantastic to see how staff, learners and parents are engaging with the 1+2 policy and have really embraced the idea of everyone learning together and making languages part of everyday life of the school.

"Languages are key in equipping our young people for a modern world in which they are global citizens."