Brighton, East Sussex -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/01/2013 -- It is no secret that standards in British modern foreign languages are dropping. In many areas of the UK the amount of pupils learning foreign languages is very low. This can only have bad effects in the long term, as the world grows closer together. School Travel Service has a range of modern foreign language school trips designed to immerse pupils into a new language practicing with native speakers as well as learning more about the country itself.

It has been found that using a foreign language in real life situations not only boosts the confidence and the skills of the speaker but visiting the country where the language is used can inspire pupils to take the language further. Claire Parry, a language advisor for 14-19 year-olds, said "Children need context for the language that they are learning.” Trips into the country of the language being learned provide this context.

School Travel Service offers trips in many destinations where the languages taught in British schools are spoken, including Berlin, Costa Brava, Paris, Normandy, Rhineland, Salzburg and Lido di Jesolo. Visiting museums and galleries in these cities will provide essential learning activities for the pupils, whilst negotiating the city and interacting with the locals will give them the platform to practise and improve their modern foreign language skills in an exciting environment.

Studies have shown that learning a second language can bring myriad advantages to young people. Children and teenagers have a much more highly functioning brain than adults, and learning a second language improves their memory, perception, decision-making and problem-negotiation skills, which will come in handy in their everyday life. Learning multiple languages at an early age also improves multitasking, and most bilingual or trilingual children show no problem in switching between languages according to who they are addressing. The study of languages also helps students to focus on the mechanics of language themselves, improving their skills on each of the individual languages they speak.

As a consequence of the memory benefits brought about by the study of different languages, multilingual people have also been proven to stave off Alzheimer’s and dementia for about four years longer than monolingual people (the average age for polyglots being 75.5, as opposed to 71.4 for monolingual individuals.) This is because, as noted above, the additional effort put on the brain by the unfamiliar elements of a second language helps it remain more active and gives it bigger challenges to cope with, improving its general health and functioning capabilities. Visiting a foreign country, as opposed to merely learning in the classroom, improves these qualities, as students find themselves forced to communicate in the unfamiliar language. This is why the services provided by companies such as School Travel Service are so important for the development of young people.

About School Travel Service
School Travel Service is the UK's largest educational travel company, providing school trips for secondary schools and colleges. Find them at www.ststravel.co.uk/ .

Contact Details:
School Travel Service
One Jubilee Street
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 1GE
+44 (0)1273 645 862
sales@ststravel.co.uk
http://www.ststravel.co.uk/