Primary school modern language teaching in England 1964-2014: the legacy of the Burstall Report

ABSTRACT The Nuffield/Schools Council Pilot Scheme of the mid-1960s to 70s was the first concerted effort to teach a modern language in the primary schools of England. The results of this experiment were published in the final Burstall Report (1974), which concluded that teaching French to eight-to-eleven year olds was not feasible given the available resources. Therefore, the Pilot Scheme was written off as a failure. This study suggests that, far from failing, the Scheme prepared the ground and planted the seeds of today’s successful primary modern language teaching (PMLT). In viewing the Scheme in retrospect through the lens of current developments, it becomes apparent that its innovations shape much of present practice. Its use of classroom teachers, principle of inclusiveness, and introduction of technology into the modern language classroom are some examples. Moreover, its identification of major obstacles to good PMLT led to the fashioning of a new ethos which harmonises it with the Progressive philosophy of primary education.