Children in Ireland and Scotland are the only ones in the EU who do not have to learn a foreign language.

Just 4% of Irish pupils at primary school learn a foreign language compared to 100% of children in Austria and Italy, for example, where it is compulsory.

Across the EU children are starting to learn foreign languages at an increasingly early age, with most pupils beginning when they are between 6 and 9 years old.

The European Commission’s aim is where everyone is taught at least two languages in addition to their own mother tongue from a very early age.

Should a language be compulsory in primary schools?