Disadvantaged areas hardest hit, following years of decline overall
The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) is warning that language learning in secondary schools is facing a ‘death spiral’, with participation in language subjects at GCSE varying considerably across England after years of decline. Analysis in the think tank’s new policy note Language GCSEs in English schools: a postcode lottery?, finds that low participation in languages is increasingly the norm at Key Stage 4. Only 7.9 per cent of schools (7.2 per cent of state, and 10.2 per cent of independent schools) have pupils taking an average of at least one language GCSE. For non-selective state schools, the figure drops to just 4.2 per cent. Grammar schools have an average of one language GCSE entry per student, which is more than double the average for comprehensive schools (0.48).
Languages ceased to be compulsory for pupils aged 14 to 16 from 2004, with the low take up of language GCSEs meaning formal language education now ends at 14 for most school pupils in England. By contrast, 97.9 per cent of upper secondary pupils in the EU study at least one foreign language. In England GCSE participation in French, Spanish and German – the three main languages taught in schools – correlates strongly with socio-economic advantage. The average number of entries per pupil across these three languages is 0.36 in schools with the highest proportion of pupils eligible for Free School Meals compared to 0.57 in those with the lowest. The inequalities by socio-economic status and by academic selectivity were particularly stark for German when compared to French and Spanish. The policy note attributes this to a ‘vicious cycle of declining uptake and opportunity’ – only 30 per cent of comprehensive schools entered any pupils for German GCSE.
The South East was the second highest performing region for language participation, with an average of 0.52 GCSE entries per pupil, second only to London on 0.69. 22 of the 25 individual Local Education Authorities (LEAs) with the highest number of GCSE entries were London boroughs. The mainland LEA with the lowest average number of entries was Blackpool with 0.24 per pupil. The analysis also finds that, other than selective schools, the state-funded schools which still do relatively well in terms of language provision tended to fall into one of four categories: academies, specifically those with a high expectation culture for all pupils; faith schools; schools which had a language specialism within the discontinued ‘specialist schools programme’; and schools that offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma (though the IB is now being defunded).
The note argues language participation could be boosted by a number of national policy measures, including facilitating the recruitment of language teachers from abroad, and considering a ‘flexible stepped qualification pathway’ in addition to GCSEs. It also calls for a more localised approach to address the specific needs and challenges faced within each LEA, and to target areas with the lowest participation with additional investment and outreach.
Megan Bowler, author of the policy note, said: ‘For many pupils, language education ends before it has really begun. Yet engaging with language, communication and culture is a worthwhile educational experience for all pupils, regardless of how far they progress with it. Studying a language helps to develop oracy, critical thinking and an empathetic awareness of other cultures and perspectives. This ‘linguistic mindset’ is going to become even more valuable in the age of AI – yet the opportunities to develop these modes of thinking, and for pupils to have their existing skills recognised, are patchy and unequal.’
Nick Hillman, the CEO of HEPI, also commented: ‘When it comes to young people understanding the world, the biggest crisis facing our education system is the appallingly low take up of languages. We lag far behind every other European country.’ He added: ‘…languages [stopped] being compulsory for GCSE-aged pupils in England around 20 years ago, and school-based language provision has been in a death spiral ever since. Initiatives designed to halt the decline have not done their job. However, there are some redoubts that have held out and they deserve to be celebrated, as this new report does. Moreover, in public policy terms, the decline in language learning could be relatively straightforward and inexpensive to reverse, if only we could find the will.’