Pupils banned from using stang in school

Pupils banned from using slang in school

Pupils at Sheffield's Springs Academy have been ordered to stop using slang while at school to improve their job prospects.

Teachers introduced the policy to encourage their pupils, aged from 11 to 18, to use only standard English inside the school gates. The trust that runs the academy said it wanted children to cut out slang words and phrases such as "hiya" and "cheers" in favour of the more correct "good morning", "goodbye" or "thank you". Abbreviated forms of words have become popular with the rise of text messages and the social networking website Twitter in which the length of a message is restricted. The trust said using standard English would give its 1,100 students, who study in a working class area of Sheffield, a better chance of impressing employers at interviews.

Kathy August, deputy chief executive of the United Learning Trust, said: "We want to make sure that our youngsters are not just leaving school with the necessary A to Cs in GCSEs but that they also have a whole range of employability skills. "What we want to make sure of is that they are confident in using standard English. Slang doesn't really give the right impression of the person. "Youngsters going to interviews for their first job need to make a good impression so that employers have confidence in them. It's not difficult to get youngster out of the habit of using slang." Mrs August said it was preferable for pupils to say "thank you" instead of the more colloquial "ta", and "goodbye" rather than "see ya". The trust said its policy on slang was part of its "street stops at the gate" ethos. It also asks sixth formers to dress in suits rather than school uniform to encourage professionalism. Mrs August added: "It is about knowing what language is acceptable between friends and what is required in more formal situations. "We want to give each of our students the best start possible; understanding when it is and is not acceptable to use slang or colloquial language is just one part of this."

But the MP for the area has raised concerns that the policy might pose a risk to dialects and accents. South Yorkshire MP Angela Smith, who previously taught GCSE English at a secondary school in Dearne Valley, South Yorks, said: "The school, is wrong to ban slang. How will the school police this? "Who will say what the difference is between slang and dialect? It could completely undermine the confidence of the children at the school. "If someone tells them how to speak they could dig in her heels and do it all the more. I really think they have set themselves a task that is impossible to achieve. Who is going to adjudicate? Who is going to say slang, dialect or accent? And which one is right and which one is wrong? "Most people know when to put on their telephone voice because that is what we are talking about. When people go on the phone or talk to anyone in authority they put on a different voice."

Mrs August denied the school was trying to stamp out dialects or accents, and said it was only targeting slang words. "It's not a case of policing or enforcing this policy at Springs Academy, we are simply encouraging it among the students," she added.

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