《英国文化教育协会：2025年英格兰语言趋势报告：英格兰中小学及私立学校语言教学研究（英文版）（41页）.pdf》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《英国文化教育协会：2025年英格兰语言趋势报告：英格兰中小学及私立学校语言教学研究（英文版）（41页）.pdf（41页珍藏版）》请在三个皮匠报告上搜索。
1、www.britishcouncil.orgLanguage Trends England 2025Language teaching in primary,secondary and independent schools in EnglandSurvey report by Ian Collen and Jayne DuffContentsIntroduction 2Headline findings 2025 2Policy context and background 3Research outline 4Findings from primary schools 6Transitio
2、n from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 14Findings from state secondary schools 19Findings from independent secondary schools 30Conclusion 37Reference Bibliography 38LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202512LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Introduction1 The research series can be accessed via the following link:https:/ww
3、w.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/research-series/language-trends.British Council is pleased to present the results of Language Trends England 2025.British Council supports peace and prosperity by building connections,understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide throu
4、gh work in arts and culture,education and the English language.British Council is committed to fostering global connections through collaboration and shared opportunities.In the education sector,British Council encourages students to explore other cultures and languages by offering teaching resource
5、s to bring the world into the classroom and creating opportunities for international school partnerships.Language Trends is an annual survey of primary and secondary schools in England.Since the first report in 2002,the survey has become an authoritative overview of the language learning landscape a
6、t school level.Language Trends is designed to gather information about the current situation for language teaching and learning.The report reflects on the impact of policy measures in relation to language learning,and the strengths and weaknesses based both on quantitative data and qualitative comme
7、nts expressed by responding teachers.There are now surveys and Language Trends reports for all four devolved nations of the United Kingdom(UK):in Wales since 2015,a biennial survey in Northern Ireland since 2019,and most recently Scotland since 2024/25.This series and suite of reports shows longitud
8、inal trends and general shifts in data,providing a snapshot of the current language education situation for teachers,school leaders,academics,inspectors,policy makers,school pupils and the public to consider aspects of language learning more deeply.1British Council commissioned Queens University Bel
9、fast to conduct the 2025 round of the Language Trends Survey for England.On behalf of British Council and Queens University Belfast,we would like to thank teachers for participating in our research.Without teachers participation,our research would not be possible.Headline findings 2025The headline f
10、indings for 2025 are:At Key Stage 2,French continues to be the most widely taught primary language,taught in 70 per cent of responding schools.This is followed by Spanish,taught in over a quarter of responding schools in Key Stage 2;Forty-nine per cent of state primary schools surveyed have contact
11、with a local state secondary school in relation to language learning;Approximately one fifth of state secondary schools surveyed feel that Year 7 pupils are now less prepared than pupils three years ago following their language learning experience at Key Stage 2;Artificial Intelligence(AI)for langua
12、ge teaching has not yet been widely adopted by primary and secondary teachers;French continues to be the most offered language at Key Stage 3,while Spanish retains more pupils at the age 14 and age 16 transition points;International opportunities have bounced back since the Covid-19 pandemic with 74
13、 per cent of state secondary schools offering trips abroad,though 49 per cent of teachers have never heard of Turing funding;On average,responding secondary school teachers estimate 53 per cent of their Year 11 pupils are currently learning a language for GCSE;Recruitment challenges in over 60 per c
14、ent of all state secondary schools and over half of independent schools surveyed;Ample opportunities for pupils and/teachers to gain international engagement in the independent sector(opportunities reported by 60 out 63 independent schools surveyed),with growing opportunities in the state sector.LAN
15、GUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 20253Policy context and backgroundFollowing 14 years of Conservative power,the 2024/25 school year in England began under a new Labour government,which quickly announced a review of the National Curriculum and associated assessment;the final report is due to be published in autu
16、mn 2025.The current National Curriculum must be taught in all local authority-maintained schools in England and the National Curriculum Framework stipulates that languages education is compulsory for all pupils aged 7 to 14:Key Stage Year Groups Age of pupils National Curriculum Requirement to Study
17、 a Language11257 None 236711Study an ancient language or a Modern Foreign Language3791114 Study a Modern Foreign Language 41011 1416 None(but encouraged as part of EBacc,see below)Table 1:National Curriculum England Requirements to Study a Language2 GCSE:General Certificate of Secondary Education,th
18、e main qualification taken by pupils in England,Northern Ireland and Wales at age 16.3 See https:/explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance.In England,81.9 per cent of state secondary schools are academies or free schools,which are currently not obligated to
19、 follow the National Curriculum,although in practice many do.The English Baccalaureate(EBacc)is an accountability measure for schools in England and was introduced in 2010.The EBacc encourages all pupils to study a GCSE in English language,English literature,mathematics,the sciences,a language(ancie
20、nt or modern)and geography or history.2 The previous governments ambition was for 90 per cent of pupils to study an EBacc subject combination at GCSE level by 2025.In the 2023/24 school year,40.4 per cent of pupils were entered into the full EBacc.However,of the pupils who entered four out of the fi
21、ve EBacc components,89 per cent did not study a language in 2023/24.3 In the interim report of the governments Curriculum and Assessment Review(DfE,2025),it is noted that EBacc performance measures may unnecessarily constrain the choice of pupils and limit their access to,and the time available for,
22、vocational and arts subjects.Reforms to French,German and Spanish GCSEs came into effect for first teaching in September 2024,for awarding in Summer 2026,with the aim of increasing the accessibility of language study(Department for Education,2022).The linguistic content of revised GCSEs in French,Ge
23、rman and Spanish focuses on the most commonly occurring vocabulary of each language,with 1,700 words at Higher Tier and 1,200 words at Foundation Tier.Pupils are expected to know and use the specified linguistic content receptively and productively in the spoken and written modalities.Any words on e
24、xamination papers outside of the prescribed list are glossed and explained.There are currently no plans to adopt this approach in languages or levels other than GCSE French,German and Spanish in England,nor are there plans to align GCSEs in French,German and Spanish from Awarding Organisations in No
25、rthern Ireland and Wales.England is a linguistic melting pot with more than 200 languages spoken in primary schools.According to the 2021 census,at country-level,the five most spoken languages after English are Polish,Romanian,Panjabi,Urdu and Portuguese.The school system remains largely wedded to t
26、he teaching of French,German or Spanish as the main Modern Foreign Language(MFL),but these can be in competition at examination level with Home,Heritage and Community Languages(HHCL).For example,approaches to considering HHCL qualifications in university admissions vary widely,in ways that French,Ge
27、rman and Spanish for native English speakers do not.In addition to evidence of indifference towards HHCL qualifications,some examples perpetuate a language hierarchy,thereby creating the possibility for inequities to be built into admissions procedures(Humphries et al.,2024).Improved levels of quali
28、fications in HHCLs have significant potential to bring individual,societal,cultural and economic benefits for England.One recent initiative to support HHCL has been the National Consortium for Languages Education(NCLE),based at University College London,signposting to supporting materials and good 4
29、LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025practice,and working with supplementary schools.NCLE aims to support high quality language education and to increase uptake of languages qualifications in Key Stage 4 and 5 in English state-funded schools.The consortium recognises and follows the recommendations and princ
30、iples enshrined in Sir Ian Bauckhams 2016 Modern Foreign Languages Pedagogy Review.In 2023,NCLE created a network of 19 lead hub schools across England.Each lead hub school delivered training to up to seven partner schools to improve standards of language teaching and learning.The programme focuses
31、on French,German and Spanish as they make up over 90 percent of GCSE entries,with particular emphasis on German to reverse the decline in recent GCSE and A-level entries in this strategically important language.NCLE is delivered by the Institute of Education,University College Londons Faculty of Edu
32、cation and Society on behalf of the Department for Education(DfE)and in partnership with British Council and Goethe-Institut.Oak National Academy is an independent public body,working in partnership to improve pupil outcomes and close the disadvantage gap by supporting teachers to teach,and enabling
33、 pupils to access,a high-quality curriculum.Teachers can use Oaks quality-checked resources for free and resources for primary and secondary MFL are being developed.The Mandarin Excellence Programme(MEP),delivered by the IOE in partnership with British Council,is now in its ninth year and continues
34、to support and promote the uptake of Mandarin.The initiative was first funded by the DfE in 2016,and it is anticipated that over 13,000 pupils enrolled in the programme will be on track towards fluency in 2025(IOE,2025).4 See https:/latinexcellence.org/latestnews/year-2-evaluation for further inform
35、ation on the success of the scheme.The Latin Excellence Programme,a 4 million programme delivered by Future Academies,was closed in February 2025 following two and a half successful years in increasing the uptake of Latin in forty non-selective state schools(Latin Excellence,2025).The funding was cu
36、t mid-year by DfE,affecting over 4,500 pupils.4It is against this backdrop that we embarked on data collection for this latest iteration of Language Trends England.Research outlineQueens University Belfast was commissioned by British Council to conduct research for Language Trends England 2025.Ethic
37、al approval was secured from the Research Ethics Committee at the School of Social Sciences,Education and Social Work(SSESW),Queens University Belfast.All participants gave their voluntary and informed consent to take part,and the project was conducted to the highest ethical standards.The aim of the
38、 research is to investigate the current situation for language teaching and learning in state primary,state secondary and independent secondary schools in England in the 2024/25 school year.As with previous iterations,the methodology undertaken involved using questionnaires to survey schools.Three s
39、urveys(primary,secondary and independent)were developed in late 2024 in consultation with an Advisory Panel of in-service schoolteachers,the Association for Language Learning(ALL),the Independent Schools Modern Languages Association(ISMLA),school leadership associations,the Department for Education,
40、NCLE,and representatives of Higher Education.LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 20255The surveys(using questionnaires and hosted on Questback)were conducted from early January until March 2025.Using a database of publicly available email addresses signposted for the Head of Foreign Languages or Headteacher,sch
41、ools were invited to participate via email.The survey links were also distributed via British Council social media channels.Response rates have declined in 2025,with a total of 1,011 schools participating after data sets were cleaned and duplicates removed(compared to 1,324 schools in 2024).Table 2
42、shows the overall response rates by sector,using the base as the number of schools to which we know our invitation email arrived and rounded to the nearest percentage.Given that the survey links were also made available on social media,it is difficult to calculate an exact response rate.Base(emails
43、delivered)LTE24 ResponsesLTE25 ResponsesResponse rate%for LTE25State Primary60686035038%State Secondary264560144517%Independent secondary5321206312%Table 2:Survey response ratesUnivariate and some multivariate analyses were performed on the quantitative data to identify overall trends;qualitative co
44、mments were analysed by means of thematic analysis(Braun and Clarke,2006)using deductive coding.6LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Findings from primary schoolsProfile of responding primary schoolsThe Language Trends 2025 survey arrived by email to 6,068 primary school inboxes on our email distribution li
45、st.In total,503 state primary schools responded to the survey,resulting in a response rate of eight per cent.Over a quarter of respondents are located in South East England(see Figure 1).Fig-ure 1:Location of responding primary schools5 Available via the following link:https:/explore-education-stati
46、stics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24#dataBlock-892e8acf-47ca-4abc-b337-38a0bbcf9e6c-tables.The socio-economic profile of a school is indicated by the number of pupils entitled to Free School Meals(FSM).In England,the UK government funds free meals for
47、children aged 4 to 16 if they live in a household that receives income-related benefits(such as universal credit)and has an annual income of less than 7,400 after tax or benefits.The current Free School Meal Entitlement(FSME)average for state primary schools in the 2023/24 school year is 24.3 per ce
48、nt,similar to the national average of 24.6 per cent.The research team calculated the FSME quintiles,from least to most deprived,using publicly available data from the 2023/24 school census,published in June 2024.5 Participants in quintiles 4 and 5 have the highest percentage of pupils with FSME,whil
49、e quintiles 1 and 2 have the lowest percentages of pupils with FSME(see Table 3).A truly representative sample of primary schools in England should have 20 per cent of respondents in each quintile.However,as Table 3 shows,over 50 per cent of responses are from schools in quintiles 1 and 2,with a qua
50、rter of responses from schools in quintiles 4 and 5;this suggests that,overall,the survey received more responses from schools in more affluent areas.Due to this socio-economic imbalance,the subsequent data may portray a more positive picture than the reality in many schools,and the findings must be
51、 interpreted with this in mind.Location of responding primary schoolsNorth EastNorth WestYorkshire and the HumberEast MidlandsWest MidlandsEast of EnglandLondonSouth EastSouth West4.2%14.5%7.6%8.0%6.6%9.7%7.2%27.6%14.7%LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 20257QuintileRange%of respondents1 most affluent0.010.2%2
52、7%210.316.5%25%316.624.9%23%425.037.4%14%5 most deprived 37.5%and above11%Table 3:FSM quintiles for state primary schools in England and percentage of respondents within each quintileThe primary school survey was completed by the languages co-ordinator(44.9 per cent),the Headteacher(38 per cent),a s
53、enior leader(11.1 per cent),or another member of school staff(6 per cent).All but one responding school have taught languages in the 2024/25 school year as part of the curriculum;in the one responding school with no current language provision,they have taught primary languages over the past five yea
54、rs.Curricular languages taught in primary schoolsIn the 502 schools that currently teach curricular primary languages,82.5 per cent have taught languages for more than five years,and less than one per cent started teaching languages in the 2024/25 school year(consistent with the 2024 findings).Langu
55、age teaching is mainly provided by a classroom teacher(63.6 per cent),followed by a specialist language teacher based in the school(33.6 per cent);a small number of schools noted the use of a peripatetic specialist teacher,language teachers from a local secondary school,or a Modern Language Assistan
56、t to deliver language teaching.Primary school respondents were asked what languages they teach as part of the school day(see Figure 2).Very few schools reported primary language provision in early years and Key Stage 1.At Key Stage 2,French continues to be the most widely taught primary language,tau
57、ght in 70 per cent of responding schools.This is followed by Spanish,taught in over a quarter of responding schools in Key Stage 2;there is a small,reported number of schools delivering curricular lessons on Ancient Greek,Arabic,German,Italian,Japanese,Latin,and Mandarin.Of those schools teaching La
58、tin(1.2 to 1.4 per cent),five schools reported that all children have access to the subject,and in other schools it is offered in Years 3,4,5 and 6.8LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Figure 2:Languages taught in responding primary schools in 2024/25 school yearResponding schools were asked to comment on t
59、he impact,if any,on allocated languages time because of pupils spending extra time on literacy and numeracy.Just under one fifth(18.9 per cent)of respondents reported an impact on dedicated languages time,and commented the following:“Yes,often MFL is not taught as core subjects take priority.”“MFL i
60、s one subject that does tend to be squeezed out of a very busy primary curriculum.With the government focus on reading,writing and Maths results,this puts pressure on schools and teachers.”“The curriculum as a whole is very full and MFL gets squeezed into smaller and smaller slots.”Approaches to tea
61、ching primary languagesThe survey asked schools if they complement teaching of a single language with a programme that encourages broader multilingual awareness;almost half(47.8 per cent)of respondents noted the ways in which they encourage broader multilingual awareness,with comments including the
62、following:01020304050607080Languages taught in primary schools in 2024/25 school yearArabicAncient GreekGermanFrenchMandarin(Chinese)LatinJapaneseItalianOtherUrduSpanishPolishEarly YearsYears 1 and/or 2Years 3 and/or 4Years 5 and/or 6Per cent0.20.20.00.070.170.110.616.51.21.80.60.60.60.80.40.80.20.4
63、0.00.01.21.40.00.02.02.40.81.40.00.00.00.20.20.00.20.01.21.29.28.626.126.510.011.40.60.80.20.4LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 20259“Celebrating the linguistic diversity of the school community.Recognising and celebrating the languages spoken by students and families within the school helps create a more inc
64、lusive environment.Initiatives such as multilingual signage and opportunities for students to teach their peers words from their home languages promote pride in linguistic diversity and build peer-to-peer learning.”“This is a developing area.At present we have been focusing on building awareness tha
65、t it is not only in Spain that Spanish is spoken and exploring different countries around the world that have Spanish as their official language,giving children a broad context for their language learning and promoting their interest in visiting other countries,when they are older,and putting their
66、language learning skills to practical use.”Primary language learning resourcesResponding primary schools were asked about the resources that they use to deliver primary languages.Similar to the 2024 findings,most schools(82 per cent)use commercially produced resources,and 41 per cent use resources p
67、roduced in their school.In other comments,respondents noted using the Rachel Hawkes scheme of work,Primary Languages Network,Language Angels,Twinkl,Languagenut,resources from a university,and their own resources that they have created.Type of resource20242025Commercially produced resources 79%82%Dra
68、wing on the resources of multilingual pupils and parents 4%7%Resources provided by cultural institutes 11%10%Resources produced in school 40%41%Resources produced by other schools 9%10%Resources provided by the British Council 6%6%Resources from Oak National Academy 3%4%Resources produced/provided b
69、y a charity N/A1%Other 13%14%Table 4:Resources used in primary schools for language teachingApproximately 12 per cent of all primary school respondents received funding in the 2024/25 school year for the development of primary language resources;in comments made by those who received funding,the hig
70、hest noted budget allocation was 500.Other comments noted funding for Continuing Professional Development(CPD),subscriptions(such as ALL,Languagenut,Language Angels),and funding for teaching materials.When asked what sort of resources would be helpful in an ideal world,the word specialist was mentio
71、ned by respondents 62 times,books 32 times,funding 31 times and training 19 times.Comments made by respondents also suggested pronunciation resources,including:“Easy to access PowerPoints with embedded pronunciation and progression of skills planning included for our non-specialist teachers.”“Resour
72、ces with correct pronunciation to support staff and pupils.”Almost 30 per cent of respondents use Apps to help their pupils with language learning.The most commonly used apps included:Duolingo,Language Angels,Primary Languages Network apps,Languagenut;several schools also noted the use of Google Tra
73、nslate.10LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Regarding Artificial Intelligence(AI)technology such as ChatGPT,Diffet,etc.,primary schools surveyed were asked how often they make use of AI in language teaching.Three quarters of respondents never use it,and just under a quarter of respondents use it occasional
74、ly in a few lessons per month.Figure 3:Frequency in the use of AI technology in primary language teachingHome,Heritage and Community(HHCL)languages in primary schoolsIn England,the Department for Education reported that 20.8 per cent of all pupils in state schools have a first language known or beli
75、eved to be other than English(DfE,2024).In state primary schools,this figure is 22.8 per cent(compared to 22 per cent in 2023).There is thus clear evidence that the number of pupils with HHCL is increasing.All 503 schools surveyed were asked if they have learners for whom English is an Additional La
76、nguage(EAL);90.7 per cent reported this to be the case,8.7 per cent said no and less than one per cent were unsure,findings that are largely consistent with Language Trends 2024.Using the publicly available census about EAL learners,the research team calculated the average percentage of EAL pupils i
77、n FSME quintiles(see Table 5).On average,14.2 per cent of pupils in responding schools have English as an additional language;however,as shown in Table 5,there are higher percentages of EAL pupils in quintiles 4(22.7 per cent)and 5(26.4 per cent).QuintileAverage%of EAL pupils1 most affluent8.9%211.9
78、%312.2%422.7%5 most deprived26.4%Table 5:Average percentage of EAL primary pupils in FSME quintilesUse of AI in primary language teaching10030204060508070Regularly(i.e,every week)Occasionally(i.e,in a few lessons per month)Never(we are unsure of what AI can do)UnansweredPer cent75.00.623.31.2LANGUAG
79、E TRENDS ENGLAND 202511Over 80 per cent of responding schools provided comments on how,if at all,they integrate pupils home languages into the curriculum.One respondent noted that they would be keen to enhance their schools support of home languages:“This is something we need to work on.We do have s
80、pecial events and days around family languages,cultures and religions but it is not fully integrated.”Other respondents noted the positive ways in which home languages are incorporated into daily school life:“Depends on the fluency but we answer the register in different languages,ask children to ta
81、lk about their languages/cultures in foundation subjects and use strategies to help children with EAL to access the whole curriculum.”“Within lessons,we regularly compare language structures,look for similarities and differences,share cultural and religious traditions as we are lucky to have a wide
82、variety of nationalities and ethnicities in our school.”International engagementLanguage Trends has been mapping international engagement in state primary schools over the past few years.Prior to both the Covid-19 pandemic and the UKs decision to leave the EU,international engagement at primary leve
83、l was reasonably healthy.While engagement has not returned to pre-Covid figures,it is positive to note that five per cent less of schools are reporting no engagement,and there is a small percentage increase in schools reporting links with partner schools abroad and involvement in international proje
84、cts(see Table 6).However,it is important to consider the fluctuations in response rates and statistical significance is not assured.2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025The school has one or more partner schools abroad 35%27%19%18%19%20%15%17%Online/digital links with schools outside the UK 14%11%
85、13%British Council events/resources7%8%Involvement in international projects 22%16%10%8%10%10%7%10%Host a language assistant 5%5%3%2%2%2%2%4%None 46%51%61%64%67%62%66%61%Table 6:Longitudinal data relating to international engagement in state primary schoolsPrimary schools surveyed were asked if they
86、 have links with any outside organisations to promote language learning(Figure 4).More than half of responding schools reported no such links,while 11.9 per cent have links with local secondary schools,10.7 per cent with ALL,9.7 per cent with schools abroad and 8.7 per cent with British Council.Arou
87、nd 7 per cent of schools surveyed reported links with cultural institutes,including:Institut franais,Goethe-Institut,Consejera de Educacin,Confucius Institute and Qatar Foundation International.Figure 4:Percentage of responding schools with links to outside organisations to promote language learning
88、(multiple answers permitted)12LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Links with outside organisations to promote languages1003020405060Per centNo link with outside organisationsLocal secondary school(s)Association for Language Learning(ALL)Schools outside of UKBritish CouncilOther(please enter details)Cultural
89、 institute(e.g.Confucius Institute,.)UniversityCharity organisationCollege of Initial teacher EducationBusiness or other employerLocal further Education College56.511.910.79.78.77.66.66.42.41.61.20.2Barriers and additional support for primary language learningPrimary schools surveyed were asked to c
90、omment on the most significant barriers that they face in delivering high quality language lessons.The issue of time constraints was mentioned nearly two hundred times by respondents,followed by teacher knowledge of languages(mentioned approximately one hundred times);this reiterates the findings of
91、 Language Trends from 2021,2022,2023 and 2024 and highlights two key areas that are consistently reported as impeding language teaching and learning,with educators commenting the following:“Time constraints to fit in everything else into the primary curriculum.Sadly,languages come down on the list o
92、f priorities.”“Teacher knowledge and fitting it into the timetable.”“Teaching staff confidence and subject knowledge.Also time for planning and time allocated in the curriculum.”Staff confidence to deliver languages is another barrier,mentioned nearly 70 times amongst respondent answers.Several comm
93、ents also noted the need for specialist teachers,funding,resources and expertise:“Finance to pay for online resources as we no longer have a specialist teacher.”“Good quality resources especially to work on listening skills.”“Finding specialist teachers to teach our pupils.”“Teacher subject knowledg
94、e and lack of funding to pay for specialist teachers.”The Language Trends survey asked if respondents would welcome a language-specific list of minimum vocabulary and grammar to be covered in Key Stage 2(see Figure 5).Just less than 80 per cent of schools said yes(compared to 80 per cent in 2024),an
95、d 9.5 per cent said no(compared to 9 per cent in 2024).Figure 5:Percentage of responding primary schools who would welcome a language-specific list of vocabulary and grammar to be covered in Key Stage 2LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202513YesNoI dont knowOther(please specify)UnansweredWould your school wel
96、come a language-specific list of minimum vocabulary and grammar to be covered in Key Stage 2?77.7%9.5%8.7%2.8%1.2%14LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3Language learning is compulsory for pupils aged 714 in England;at the point of transition from Key Stage 2 to Key
97、Stage 3,pupils beginning their secondary phase of education continue language learning,though not necessarily with the same language(s)that they learnt in primary school.In the primary survey,respondents were asked how they plan their curriculum for primary languages.Of the 502 schools surveyed who
98、teach curricular languages in the 2024/25 school year,76.9 per cent follow the DfE Key Stage 2 Programme of Study when planning their languages curriculum.A small number of responding schools(4.6 per cent)follow both the Key Stage 2 and 3 Programmes of Study,largely consistent with the last two iter
99、ations of Language Trends.Contact between primary and secondary schoolsAll primary schools surveyed in 2025 were asked if they had any contacts with local secondary schools in relation to language learning.Just over 30 per cent of schools surveyed have contact with one local secondary school,and jus
100、t over half of schools reported no contacts with any secondary schools(Table 7).Contact with a secondary school?2025(n=503)Yes,with just one secondary school 31%Yes,with some secondary schools 13.7%Yes,with all the main receiving secondary schools 3.8%No contacts with secondary schools 50.9%Unanswer
101、ed0.6%Table 7:Primary school respondent answers to Do you have contacts with your local secondary schools in relation to language learning?In 2025,an increased percentage of primary schools surveyed reported contact with a local secondary school(Figure 6);however,given the low response rate in 2025,
102、statistical significance cannot be assured.Figure 6:Percentage of state primary schools in contact with a local state secondary school in relation to language learning,20182025Of those primary schools in contact with a local secondary school,50.8 per cent reported that they exchange information on l
103、anguage teaching informally(compared to 54 per cent in 2024,53 per cent in 2023),and less than a third(31.1 per cent)take part in network/cluster meetings(consistent with 31 per cent in 2024,30 per cent in 2023).At the point of transition between Key Stage 2 and 3,just over a quarter(27.5 per cent)o
104、f primary schools with secondary contacts provide information on pupil progress in language learning(see Figure 7).Figure 7:The type of contact that responding primary schools have with secondary schools(%calculated out of the number of primary schools who reported contact with local secondary schoo
105、ls,n=244)LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202515%of primary schools in contact with a local secondary school1003020405060Per cent474544424049454920182025201920202021202220232024YearType of contact primary schools have with secondary schools1003020405060Per centWe exchange information on language teaching inf
106、ormallyWe take part in network/cluster meetingsWe provide information on pupil progress in language learning at the point of transfer to KS3Other(please specify)We observe each others lessonsA local secondary school provides language teaching in my schoolWe collaborate on planning units of work in l
107、anguagesA local secondary school provides training for teachers of languages in my schoolWe use the ALL and ASCL transition toolkitA local secondary school provides our scheme of workWe plan language lessons together50.831.127.522.111.99.05.33.72.51.60.816LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Pupil progress i
108、n language learningSince the 2019 recommendations made in the White Paper(Holmes and Myles,2019)on Primary Languages Policy in England,efforts have been made to strengthen collaboration between primary and secondary schools.Since 2023,NCLEs Language Hubs programme has encouraged learners to continue
109、 with their language education journey,and facilitated connections between primary and secondary schools;a central tenet of NCLEs Language Hubs includes improving Key Stage 2 to 3 transition in the context of language education(NCLE,2025).In the state secondary survey,approximately three-fifths of r
110、esponding schools either carefully consider(32.4 per cent),or somewhat consider(26.7 per cent),the National Curriculum Programmes of Study for the full 714 age range when planning for Key Stage 3.Responding secondary schools were asked to reflect on how well their current Year 7s language learning e
111、xperiences in Key Stage 2 have prepared pupils for language learning in Key Stage 3 in comparison to previous cohorts.Figure 8 shows that,consistent with 2024,over three-fifths of respondents consider there to be little change,while around a fifth consider pupils to be less prepared.In other comment
112、s,respondents noted that:“With such a large number of feeder schools,they all have such diverse experiences and have been taught by non MFL teachers that it is hard to judge.”“Depends on which school they have come from.Some have been put off languages because of poor input,others have had specialis
113、t teachers and know a lot more.”“We often find that the language they study in Key Stage 3 is not the same as the language they studied at primary school.”Figure 8:Secondary school respondents responses to:Thinking about your current Year 7 pupils,how well has their language learning experience in K
114、ey Stage 2 prepared them for language learning in Key Stage 3,in comparison to previous cohorts over the last 5 years?Per centYear Better prepared Little change Less preparedOther We do not have any pupils in Year 7 I dont know1003020405060201920252020202120222023202470807476696660626313130000121213
115、18102492388206131019530LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202517Continuity in Key Stage 2 to 3 transition State secondary schools surveyed were asked if pupils in their school continue with the same language(s)they learned at Key Stage 2.Table 8 shows that all pupils continue with the same language in only a s
116、mall number of responding schools;in approximately three quarters of schools surveyed in 2025,some pupils continue with the same language that they learnt in primary school.In other comments,secondary school respondents noted:“There is too much variation in the quality of primary school languages to
117、 say who has done what consistently.For us when a school teaches one language for the whole time they are at primary school,this is the best approach.”“As our pupils come from a range of feeder junior and primary schools there is no continuity as they have had different language learning experiences
118、 in KS2.”2023(n=586)2024(n=601)2025(n=445)All pupils continue with the same language 3%2%2%The majority ofpupils continue with the same language 16%15%11%Some pupils continue with the same language 69%68%73%No,our pupils start a new language from scratch 7%6%6%Other(please comment further)5%9%7%Tabl
119、e 8:State secondary responses to Do pupils in your school continue with the same language they learned at Key Stage 2?Nearly eight out of ten(77.5 per cent)of secondary schools surveyed reported that their school could not organise classes for pupils in Year 7 according to the language(s)they learne
120、d at primary school.Collaboration between primary and secondary schoolsFigure 9 shows yearly fluctuations in the percentage of primary schools reporting they receive support from a secondary school in relation to language teaching and training for teachers.In 2025,nine per cent of responding primary
121、 schools reported that a local secondary school provided language teaching in their school,while only four per cent reported that a local secondary school had provided training for their language teachers.In other comments,one primary practitioner noted difficulty in establishing contact with a loca
122、l secondary school:“I invite them to all the language events at our school,French Christmas play,French breakfast cafe,Fashion show etc,but they never come.They often dont reply.”Other respondents commented the type of contact they maintain with local secondary schools:“Our Y6 children visit the sch
123、ool and receive a Spanish lesson taught by Y10.This helps with transition and maintains a friendly link with the languages dept.”“I have reached out and made contact with our two main secondary schools.I have shadowed teachers in the schools and talked about how to help transition.One school suggest
124、ed buying a workbook(language gym)so they are familiar with the layout when they arrive.The other school was not so successful since a change of language happens between Y6 and Y7.”18LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Figure 9:Changes in the percentage of primary schools receiving training and language tea
125、ching support from secondary schools over the yearsSupport from secondary schools for primary languages051015Per cent201320252017202120222023202420Year%of primary schools provided with language teaching by local secondary schools%of primary schools reporting their local secondary school provided tra
126、ining for their language teachers19782.551841057549LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202519Findings from state secondary schoolsAfter data sets had been cleaned,we received complete responses from 445 age 1116 or 1118 schools,giving a response rate of 17 per cent.Responses were received from across the countr
127、y,with lower rates noted in the North-East attributable to the comparatively higher number of Middle Schools and Senior Schools for whom our survey is not suitable.Region Number of responding schools As a percentage of state secondary schools participating in our surveyEast Midlands 317.0%East of En
128、gland 4510.1%London 5512.4%North-East 255.6%North-West 5712.8%South-East 9120.4%South-West 5311.9%West Midlands 5412.1%Yorkshire and the Humber 347.6%Table 9:Regional locations of participating state secondary schools State secondary free school meal quintiles In January 2024,24.1 per cent of pupils
129、 in state secondary schools in England were entitled to Free School Meals(FSME),an increase from 22.7 per cent in the previous year.We arranged state secondary schools in our achieved sample into quintiles,as per the number of pupils entitled to Free School Meals from the Department for Educations p
130、erformance tables data(Table 10).As in previous Language Trends reports,there is an overrepresentation of schools in more affluent areas;it is a real challenge to get schools in the most deprived areas to take part,yet we are so keen to hear their views and better understand the challenges they face
131、 in delivering languages education:Quintile FSME RangePercentage participation in Language Trends 1 most affluent 014.2%31.4%214.320.6%18.5%320.727.6%16.5%427.737.8%19.5%5 most deprived 37.9%and above14.2%Table 10:State secondary school quintiles20LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025The statistically signif
132、icant overrepresentation of schools in Quintile 1(most affluent areas)means that,as with our primary school survey,the data which follow may not be truly representative of the social spectrum.English as an Additional Language One in five pupils in Englands state secondary classrooms has English as a
133、n Additional Language(EAL),though around a third of these pupils are fluent in English in addition to their first language(DfE,2020).Fluent means the pupil can operate without EAL support across the curriculum to a level of competence equivalent to that of a pupil who uses English as their first lan
134、guage.Our profile of responding schools corroborates previous research that schools in most deprived areas tend to have more pupils with EAL(see Table 11).Quintile Percentage of pupils with EAL in our data 1 most affluent 12.8%211.7%317.2%422.7%5 most deprived 29.8%Table 11:Percentage of EAL pupils
135、by quintile in responding state sec-ondary schoolsPupils with EAL have a rich linguistic capital and they should thus thrive in the languages classroom.More work is needed to better understand the complex interplay of plurilingualism in instructed settings.Languages at Key Stage 3 As previously note
136、d,pupils in England are currently entitled to learn a language from ages seven to 14.A majority of schools told us they plan at least somewhat with the full Programme of Study in mind,but a third of schools told us they only consider the Key Stage 3 Programme of Study in their planning.Fifty-eight p
137、er cent of schools told us that no pupils are disapplied from learning a language;in those schools where some pupils are taken out of language lessons,the pupils tend to have Special Educational Needs and the decision to remove pupils is taken by a senior member of teaching staff.A review of the Nat
138、ional Curriculum and assessment is ongoing,due to be reported in autumn 2025.We asked survey respondents if they were aware of this review and if they had contributed their views;56 per cent of teachers were aware of the review but less than ten per cent have contributed to the request for evidence.
139、Data between 2023 and 2025 continue to show French as the most offered language at Key Stage 3.As we will see later in the report,Spanish appears to retain more pupils at the age 14 transition point.Just one quintile 5 school offers German;in fact,73 per cent of schools offering German are in the to
140、p two quintiles,i.e.,with a more favourable FSME statistic than the national average.German also has regional differences;from our data set,schools in London are least likely whilst schools in the South-East and East of England are most likely to offer German.LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202521Figure 10:
141、Percentage of state secondary schools offering French,German and Spanish at Key Stage 3 over the past three years Of course,schools offer languages other than the big three of French,German and Spanish,but they tend to be dwarfed in our data sets.Table 12 shows the range of languages offered as both
142、 full curriculum and enrichment(extra-curricular)subjects:Ancient Greek Arabic Chinese/Mandarin Italian Japanese Latin Polish Russian Urdu Other KS3 full curriculum subject 0.2%1.3%7.0%1.1%1.3%6.7%0.0%0.7%1.3%0.9%KS3 enrichment 2.0%1.6%5.8%3.6%1.8%6.1%1.6%1.3%0.7%4.7%Table 12:Percentage of state sec
143、ondary schools offering lesser taught languages at Key Stage 3 Where schools offer languages as part of enrichment,a majority conduct this at lunch time or after school.A minority use collapsed timetable days to focus on enrichment languages.Pedagogical Approach There is no one correct way to teach
144、languages.It is recognised that there is a variety of approaches and methods.We asked teachers an open ended question as to whether their language department has a preferred pedagogical approach.One third of responding schools mentioned Extensive Processing Instruction,designed to promote long-term
145、retention,fluency,and communicative competence.Other approaches mentioned include:Language Driven Pedagogy(adhering to the principles of NCELP)in which three core strands of language knowledge(phonics,vocabulary,and grammar)are carefully woven together to underpin the development of confident commun
146、ication,cultural understanding,and creative use of language;the Cumbria approach,where the teacher and pupils speak the target language almost exclusively,with constant interaction in the target language and lessons featuring songs,mimes,a team competition,and competitive activities;as well as more
147、traditional presentation/practice/production principles and the use of parallel texts.Teachers commented:%of schools offering KS3 French,German and Spanish,202320250204060Per cent202320252024100Year87.035.075.089.037.679.188.1736.474.680FrenchGermanSpanish22LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025“We write our
148、own schemes of learning and all teach the same content.Individual teaching style and methods are allowed and encouraged.We encourage variety and challenge and dont feel that any of the popular approaches(NCELP,EPI)offer enough of this for our students,although we may dip in to them.”“We follow Langu
149、age Driven Pedagogy scheme of work with adapted resources.Focus on explicit grammar mastery with eye to prepare students for A Level.New approach having previously taught using defined topics similar to a textbook(e.g.,environment,school life etc).”“Extensive Processing Instruction is now fully embe
150、dded from Y7 to Y11 in French and Spanish.Use of sentence builders and parallel texts to deliver 7 codified Key Skills per year group,focusing on opinions in Y7,present and near future in Y8 and past,present and future in Y9.Skills run through 6 topics,one per term,and are layered vertically(by targ
151、et level)and horizontally(to build year on year).”“We use a mixture of styles.We do use explicit instruction rather than an investigation style approach.We do include the 3 pillars:phonics,vocabulary and grammar.We find there is not much room in the curriculum for the creative and fun things.Any tha
152、t we do have are planned in!We do use sentence builders and some aspects of EPI approach.But we agree that we have a variety of learners and a one style approach does not suit all.”A number of teachers commented that they are required to follow a particular approach common to all schools within thei
153、r Multi-Academy Trust.Some of these respondents expressed frustration that their professional autonomy as experts in the languages classroom has thus been reduced.Artificial Intelligence(AI)and language teaching AI and digital technologies have the potential to play a major role in language teaching
154、 and learning(OECD,2024).AI offers personalised,interactive and engaging experiences through chatbots,language generation and adaptive learning.Pupils can receive real-time feedback,using algorithms and data analytics to help focus on areas for development.Crucially,this feedback is not only written
155、,but can also be spoken;speech recognition technology can help pupils to practise their pronunciation,as well as listening skills.We asked teachers how often their department makes use of AI technology(such as ChatGPT,Diffet,etc)in language teaching.Just twelve per cent of respondents said they use
156、AI every week,but 52 per cent of respondents use AI occasionally(i.e.,a few lessons per month).Just 16 per cent of schools allow pupils to use AI to help with their language learning in school.Languages at Key Stage 4Although the 16-year-old population increased by 4.6 per cent between 2023 and 2024
157、,and 91.4 per cent of all GCSEs are taken by this age group,it is pleasing to see increases in French,German,Spanish and Other Modern Languages.Investment in government initiatives,such as NCELP and NCLE,together with high quality teaching in classrooms,is paying off.Comparing entry numbersbetween 2
158、024 and 2019(pre-pandemic)Frenchhas increased by3 per cent and Spanishhas increased by30.5 per centand other languages have increased by34 per cent.Whilst German has declined by 16.1 per cent in the same period,initiatives such as the GIMAGINE project from the Goethe-Institut are helping to stabilis
159、e numbers.Overall,it is a most positive picture for the sector when we benchmark data against language learning in other predominantly anglophone countries.LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202523Figure 11:GCSE Entries in French,German,Spanish and Other Modern Languages in England 20152024 The approach to gra
160、ding returned to pre-pandemic arrangements in England in 2023,notwithstanding adjustments in French and German following a review of harsh grading.GCSEs from Awarding Bodies in England are graded from 9 to 1,with 9 the highest grade.Grade 4 is considered a standard pass.Grades across all GCSE subjec
161、ts see 21.8 per cent of grades at Grade 7 and above and 67.6 per cent of grades at 4/C and above.Table 13 shows that pupils of languages are consistently performing higher than the all GCSE subject average:All GCSE subjects French German Spanish Other Modern Languages Grade 7 and above 21.8%28%32.1%
162、26.7%71.7%Grade 4 and above 67.6%71.2%77.5%69.8%92.5%Table 13:Cumulative percentages of pupils attaining GCSE grades(2024)As reported in previous Language Trends,the government recognised harsh grading in some MFL subjects as a reality and made an adjustment to GCSE French and German in 2020(delayed
163、 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic),to bring awarding into line with Spanish.Grading is a complex statistical exercise undertaken by awarding bodies:there remains work to be done to level the field;for example,in biology 82.9 per cent of candidates achieved a grade 4 or above.Teachers in our data
164、 set report that on average 53 per cent of their Year 11 pupils are currently learning a language for GCSE;this continues to be far off the governments EBacc ambition of 90 per cent.When we break the data down into quintiles,we can see that schools in more affluent areas are more likely,by over 20 p
165、ercentage points,to have more pupils learning a language(Table 14).GCSE Entries in French,German,Spanish and Other Modern Languages in England 201520240140000No.of entries2015Year20242023202220212020201920182017201616000010000012000080000400006000020000FrenchGermanSpanishOther ML24LANGUAGE TRENDS EN
166、GLAND 2025QuintileAverage percentage of pupils in Year 11 studying a language by teacher estimateQuintile 1 most affluent 69%Quintile 2 47%Quintile 3 46%Quintile 4 46%Quintile 5 most deprived 47%Table 14:Average percentage of pupils in Year 11 studying a language by teacher estimateWe asked teachers
167、 their perceptions of take-up for languages at Key Stage 4(Figure 12).Figure 12:State school teachers perceptions of language uptake over the past three years at Key Stage 4Data in Figure 12 are broadly in line with data collected in answering the same question in 2023,though then 30 per cent of tea
168、chers thought more pupils were taking a language in the three years prior(2025 is 22 per cent).It will be important to continue monitoring entry levels over the coming years.However,the new GCSE in French,German and Spanish for first teaching from September 2024 has had a rather positive reception.W
169、e asked teachers in state schools in 2023 if they thought the new GCSE would have a positive or negative impact on uptake:63 per cent of teachers did not expect any change,18 per cent of teachers thought numbers would go up,12 per cent did not know and 7 per cent of teachers thought numbers would de
170、crease.We asked a similar,though not identical question this year:Large negative impact(numbers will go down significantly)0.7%Small negative impact(numbers will go down slightly)2.5%I do not expect any impact,positive or negative 50.8%Small positive impact(numbers will go up slightly)34.2%Large pos
171、itive impact(numbers will go up significantly)2.5%I dont know 8.8%Table 15:Teachers responses to the question To what extent do you think the new GCSE in French,German and Spanish that is now underway with YR10 pupils will have a positive or negative impact on uptake at GCSE?Changes in KS4 uptake501
172、510202530Per centLanguages are still compulsory for all pupils at KS4More pupils now take a language at KS4Fewer pupils now take a language at KS4Similar numbers to beforeNo clear trend:numbers fluctuate from year to yearOther(please specify)17.822.222.525.28.34.0LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202525There
173、are now less people on the fence and more optimism that numbers will go up.Summer 2026 will see the first awarding of the new GCSE in French,German and Spanish and it is hoped that the upward trajectory noted in this years statistics will continue as the new specifications take root.In addition,thre
174、e quarters of teachers said that the new GCSE had changed the way they plan their curriculum.Comments included:“Yes,we have to adapt our teaching resources to ensure all vocabulary is covered.We are also adapting our resources to reflect the new GCSE exam.”“Yes,we have changed exam board and focused
175、 on vocabulary that is included in the specification within curriculum resources.More dictation,more phonics teaching.”“Not hugely.We have continued with our phonics programme and have found that the LDP pedagogy that we use in KS3 has benefitted phonics awareness and is helping students perform wel
176、l for read aloud and dictation.”“Yes.Clearer mapping of vocabulary and phonics,ensuring phonics are embedded.Clearer recycling of key grammatical structures.More speaking opportunities.”Home,Heritage and Community Languages at Key Stage 4Languages other than English used in daily life at home,in sch
177、ool and in local communities are sometimes known as home,heritage and community languages(HHCL).Specifically,(i)a home language is a language learned in childhood in the home,(ii)a heritage language is a minority language that is often indigenous such as Irish,Gaelic or Scots,Welsh,or Cornish but ca
178、n also refer to languages which have developed in local communities as a result of immigration over time,or through new arrivals to the local area and(iii)community languages are generally those spoken by members of minority groups or communities within a majority language context.Type of support202
179、42025 The school pays examination entry fees for pupils 79%78%The school is aware of complimentary schools(e.g.Supplementary/Saturday schools)but does not collaborate with them13%15%The school actively collaborates with and promotes Saturday schools2%5%The school facilitates teaching of community la
180、nguages during the school day 4%6%No support provided11%12%Other(please specify)18%15%Table 16:Support offered by schools to pupils to take examinations in home,heritage and community languagesTable 16 shows there is little change year on year.The schools which provide no support are all in quintile
181、s 4 and 5 i.e.,below the FSME average;this is further evidence that those pupils in the most deprived areas have the least support beyond the National Curriculum.Languages at A-levelAcross the UK,A-level entries for all ages increased by 2.2 per cent in 2024.In summer 2024,the 18-year-old population
182、 was up by 0.9 per cent from 729,024 to 735,259;the 19-year-old population was up by 1.4 per cent from 743,747 to 753,892,and female students made up 54.1 per cent of A-level entries.It is good news for MFL;French,German and Spanish all show an upward trend year on year from 2023 and,when combined,O
183、ther Modern Languages are also on the up.As a community of linguists,we must celebrate this turning of the tides and work to increase uptake in the coming years.26LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025In England,for the sixth year running,Spanish was the most popular A-level language according to official exa
184、m data,in contrast to primary and Key Stage 3 where French remains the most taught language.Fusing our data with publicly available data we can with confidence draw the inference that Spanish retains more pupils at age 14 and age 16 transition points than French.Figure 13:A-level entries in French,G
185、erman,Spanish and Other Modern Languages in England 20152024Just over half of the schools in our data set have post-16 provision in languages(though when we look at quintile 5 schools in isolation this figure is just 31 per cent),either delivered within the school or in concert with a neighbouring s
186、chool.No.of post-16 pupilsYear 12 2023/24 Year 12 2024/25 Year 13 2023/24 Year 13 2024/25 5 or fewer 34%36%36%41%61020%18%20%15%111512%11%9%11%15208%8%8%8%20+11%13%10%10%None 16%14%18%15%Table 17:State secondary teacher responses to how many post-16 pupils in their school currently study one or more
187、 languagesWe again asked teachers what happens whenever not enough pupils choose a language for A-level.The number for enough varies greatly from school to school;some teachers have targets of as high as 15 pupils for a class to run.In our data set,if three pupils in each of the 35 per cent of schoo
188、ls which do not run classes initially wanted to do a language,then that is 251 young people for whom the language learning journey is cut short due to systemic barriers.A-level entries in French,German,Spanish and Other Modern Languages in England 201520249000No.of entries2015Year2024202320222021202
189、020192018201720161000050007000300020001000FrenchGermanSpanishOther ML6000800040000LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025272023/242024/25Year 12 and Year 13 classes are taught together 13%13%Classes do not run 39%35%Class run at a reduced timetable 28%25%Shared arrangements with another school 10%11%Other(plea
190、se give details)34%29%Table 18:What arrangements are in place,if any,when only a few pupils wish to study a language post-16?Teachers commented:“Our SLT ask for 10 which is completely unrealistic looking at numbers over the past 20 years and the reduced uptake at GCSE.We have to fight and negotiate
191、to run groups each year.”“We are told that there is a minimum number,but this number is not made explicit,despite being asked for.In the past 5 students has been allowed,but with current budgetary constraints I am not sure for how much longer this is sustainable”.“We are fighting for survival with F
192、rench every year with around five to seven students in a year group.Spanish was a popular option before,but due to the new T level courses numbers dropped.”A small number of schools(3.6 per cent)collaborate with a local university as part of an Ambassador or Mentoring scheme where undergraduate stud
193、ents mentor pupils in languages.One teacher commented:“This is a fantastic way to engage university students in the teaching profession.They provide support for staff and a relatable example of where studying languages can lead pupils.”Recruitment of MFL Teaching StaffCompared to 2023/24,more MFL st
194、udent teachers were recruited in 2024/25 in England.Nevertheless,only 43 per cent of the recruitment target was met in 2024/25.Thirty-four per cent of applicants in MFL were non-UK-domiciled,compared to 24 per cent of all other applicants.Non-UK-domiciled applicants tend to experience much higher re
195、jection rates than domestic applicants.Data shows that in MFL,the rejection rate for non-UK candidates was almost double that for UK candidates in 2024/25(McLean and Worth,2025).Table 19 shows that,from our Language Trends 2025 data,the recruitment of qualified teachers of MFL is an issue for two th
196、irds of state secondary schools.28LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025State Secondary 2024 State Secondary 2025 Yes,a major issue 33%31%Yes,a minor issue 31%32%No,not an issue 30%31.0%I dont know 3%2.5%Other3%3.5%Table 19:Teachers responses to the question on whether recruitment of languages teachers is an
197、issueRecruitment issues are more acute in schools in areas of social deprivation;68 per cent of quintile 5 schools have problems attracting MFL teachers compared to 57 per cent of quintile 1 schools.International engagement in state secondary schoolsWe have been keeping a close eye on the internatio
198、nal dimension of school life,which naturally suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic.In 2023/24,36 per cent of schools told us they dont have any international opportunities;in 2024/25 this figure is just 13 per cent.It is most pleasing to report that opportunities for international engagement are on
199、the up,with clear evidence that schools have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels:Percentage of responding schoolsPupils go on trips abroad 74%We employ language assistants 27%We engage with cultural institutes(e.g.Confucius Institute,Goethe-Institut,Institut franais,Gael Linn,Consejera de Educaci
200、n)28%The school has one or more partner schools abroad 27%The school has combined school trips abroad with other departments 22%Pupils can do work experience abroad 7%British Council international opportunities10%None 13%Other 7%Table 20:Opportunities for pupils and/or teachers to gain international
201、 experience in responding state secondary schools(respondents ticked all that applied)LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202529Just over 49 per cent of respondents told us they had never heard of the Turing scheme;a further 46 per cent are aware but have not applied,and 4.7 per cent have applied and had a succ
202、essful bid.Seventeen per cent of schools collaborate with the Goethe-Institut;over three quarters of these schools are in quintiles 1 and 2.A similar number collaborate with the Institut Franais;6.5 out of 10 of these schools are in quintiles 1 and 2.Of those schools which told us they engage with t
203、he Spanish Consejera de Educacin,four out of five are in quintiles 1 and 2(i.e.,in more affluent areas).Language assistants are less likely to be employed in state secondary schools than in independent schools(employed either privately or through the British Council scheme).Quintile 5 schools are th
204、e least likely to employ language assistants.Percentage of responding state secondary schoolsFrench speaking Language Assistant 22.7%German speaking Language Assistant 12.8%Mandarin speaking Language Assistant 4.3%Spanish speaking Language Assistant 20.9%Language Assistant for other language (e.g.,A
205、rabic,Italian,Russian,Japanese)1.3%Table 21:Language Assistants employed in responding state secondary schools30LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Findings from independent secondary schools Sixty-three independent secondary schools in England participated in the Language Trends 2025 survey in the followin
206、g locations:LocationNo.of responding schoolsEast Midlands and the Humber 5East of England and North-East London 5Lancashire and West Yorkshire 4North of England 10North-West London and South-Central England 3South-East England and South London 21South-West England 5West Midlands 10Table 22:Regional
207、locations of participating independent secondary schools6 For further information,see https:/www.isc.co.uk/schools/sub-pages/common-entrance/.Email invites were delivered to 532 independent secondary school inboxes on our mailing list,resulting in a response rate of 12 per cent.Due to less than one
208、hundred independent schools responding,the ensuing findings and data are presented as raw figures.Following the recent curriculum and assessment review in England,independent schools surveyed were asked if they were aware of the review and had the opportunity to contribute.Thirty schools reported th
209、at they were aware of the review,of which 14 contributed to.Of course,independent schools do not need to follow the National Curriculum,but it is interesting that many MFL departments are plugged in to these developments.Entrance exams in independent schoolsUnlike state schools,independent schools d
210、o not receive government funding and are not obliged to follow the National Curriculum.The survey asked respondents the percentage of pupils that enter their school using the Common Entrance Exam,a selective admissions process for pupils wishing to attend independent secondary schools.6 Amongst part
211、icipating respondents,approximately two-thirds(40 schools out of 63)do not use the Common Entrance Exam.Fifty-one schools reported that various percentages of pupils will enter using their own schools entrance test,including 32 schools who noted that all pupils enter the school via these tests.Of th
212、ose schools using their own entrance tests,seven reported that a Modern Foreign Language(MFL)is assessed.Language provision and enrichment subjects in independent schoolsThe two most taught languages in independent schools surveyed are French and Spanish,both of which are taught in over four out of
213、five responding schools in Key Stages 3 and 4.There is provision for Latin in approximately seven out of ten responding schools in Key Stages 3 and 4,and there is post-16 provision in two-thirds of schools surveyed.German is taught in more than half of schools surveyed throughout the key stages(see
214、Table 23).French German Latin Spanish Key Stage 3 56384555Key Stage 4 56414455Post-16 50374251Table 23:Provision of French,German,Latin and Spanish in independent secondary schools surveyedLANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202531Independent schools surveyed also offer several other languages throughout the ke
215、y stages and as enrichment subjects(see Figure 14).Figure 14:Other curricular and enrichment language subjects offered in participating independent secondary schoolsIn regard to enrichment subjects,independent schools with such provision were asked at which point in the school day are these subjects
216、 offered.One school provides enrichment language lessons before school,13 during lunchtime,and 12 after school;several schools also noted other arrangements in place for enrichment language lessons,including during timetabled enrichment slots and free periods in sixth form.Home,Heritage and Communit
217、y Languages in independent schoolsNearly all(53 out of 63)independent schools surveyed reported that their pupils have opportunities to take exams in the languages spoken in their homes or communities.Twenty-two independent schools surveyed pay examination fees for pupils wishing to undertake HHCL e
218、xaminations;however,19 out of 63 respondents reported that there is a lack of support provided to pupils(Table 24).In other comments,several respondents noted that their school supports HHCL exams in alternative ways than those listed in Table 24,including acting as an examination centre for pupils
219、studying home languages,facilitating exams and finding examiners,and providing mock exams.Other curricular and enrichment languages in independent schools501510202530No.of schoolsAncient GreekUrduArabicChinese/MandarinItalianJapanese35Other language KS3 full curriculum subject KS3 enrichment KS4 GCS
220、E option KS4 enrichment Post 16 exam option Post 16 enrichment11LatinPolishRussian95420262 2 2 2141517174478457141511 1241 11 1111022929281 111122249810332LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Type of supportNo.of responding schoolsThe school pays examination entry fees for pupils 22The school is aware of Sat
221、urday schools but does not collaborate with them 13The school actively collaborates with and promotes Saturday schools 1The school facilitates teaching of community languages during the school day 6No support provided 19Other(please specify)18Table 24:Support offered by responding independent school
222、s to pupils to take examinations in home,heritage and community languages(HHCL).Respondents ticked all that applied.Key Stage 4 language examinations in independent schoolsOnly two independent schools surveyed indicated that they had no Year 10 learners in the 2024/25 school year learning a language
223、 for GCSE/iGCSE or other Level 2 qualification.For more than half of independent respondents,70 per cent and above of their Year 10 cohort were studying a language(including 16 respondents who noted that all their Year 10 learn a language).Five responding independent schools use the iGCSE qualificat
224、ion,with most schools using GCSE qualifications(n=40),and some use a combination of the two(n=14).Schools surveyed provided the following comments about GCSE/iGCSE qualifications:“We have a strong preference for the iGCSE because we have historically found the marking to be more reliable.The GCSE in
225、 Russian is particularly poor listening paper too hard,papers littered with errors and bad Russian.etc.”“We used to do iGCSE in all languages.French and Spanish then moved to GCSE.German stayed with iGCSE.Grades have been better in French and Spanish so for the new GCSE we are all doing AQA.This tie
226、s in with Italian.”“We are moving away from iGCSE in French,Spanish and German.We stick to iGCSE in Chinese to provide appropriate challenge.”“I think that we will change to the GCSE.The iGCSE hasnt changed for 8 years and our students are finding it increasingly challenging.Key Stage 4 uptake in in
227、dependent schoolsTwenty-two responding independent schools reported that languages are still compulsory for pupils at Key Stage 4 in their school(see Table 25).Only four respondents perceive that more pupils now take a language,compared to 15 respondents who report fewer pupils taking a language at
228、Key Stage 4.Some respondents commented other:“Our school has just removed language learning from the Core GCSE curriculum.”“100%in theory BUT we have noted a higher%of disapplications.”LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202533How has the proportion of pupils studying a language in Key Stage 4 changed?No.of res
229、ponding schoolsLanguages are still compulsory for all pupils at KS4 22More pupils now take a language at KS4 4Fewer pupils now take a language at KS4 15Similar numbers to before 12No clear trend:numbers fluctuate from year to year 5Other(please specify)5Table 25:Independent teachers perceptions of l
230、anguage uptake at Key Stage 4 Eighteen of the schools surveyed have policies that strongly recommend all pupils take a language in Key Stage 4;however,nine schools reported that lower than average attaining pupils are discouraged from choosing a language,and classes do run if there are not enough pu
231、pils in six independent schools surveyed.Teachers surveyed in independent schools were asked about the impact of the new GCSE in French,German and Spanish on uptake(Table 26);no schools expect a negative impact,while 24 do not expect any impact,positive or negative.Although 13 responding schools are
232、 unsure about the potential impact,11 respondents are optimistic that numbers will go up slightly.No.of responding schoolsI do not expect any impact,positive or negative 24I dont know 13Large negative impact(numbers will go down significantly)0Large positive impact(numbers will go up significantly)0
233、Not applicable to my school 12Small negative impact(numbers will go down slightly)0Small positive impact(numbers will go up slightly)11Unanswered3Table 26:Independent teachers responses to the question To what extent do you think the new GCSE in French,German and Spanish that is now under-way with Y
234、R10 pupils will have a positive or negative impact on uptake at GCSE?Post-16 language provision in independent schoolsFifty-four independent schools who responded to the survey have post-16 provision in languages.In the 2024/25 school year,schools reported the following post-16 language learner numb
235、ers(Table 27):No.of post-16 pupilsYear 12Year 135 or fewer 1317610 871115 671520 53More than 20 1315None 84Table 27:Number of post-16 pupils in the 2024/25 school year studying one or more languages in responding independent schoolsFor over half of independent respondents(n=35/63),languages classes
236、will run whatever the number,even if there are only a few language learners;in other schools,classes run at a reduced timetable(n=19)when there are low pupil numbers.34LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Very few schools reported that uptake has increased in their school for post-16 languages(see Table 28).
237、Conversely,uptake has visibly decreased for French in 21 schools,German in 13 schools,Latin in 20 schools,and Spanish in 16 schools.Introduced as a new A-level Take-up has increased Take-up stable Takeup has decreased Subject discontinued during past three years Not taught in my school in past three
238、 years French 05222105German 171813212Latin 03202048Mandarin 13114232Russian 1063241Spanish 17261604Table 28:Independent teachers perceptions of changes in take-up and provision for languages post-16 in their schoolIn commenting on these changes,one teacher noted that:“Spanish take-up for next year=
239、0,last year=6,the year before=4.Students would take the language if they were offered 4 option choices,but Maths and Sciences remain the priority and are seen as the best subjects for future employment.A level languages are difficult and it is difficult to achieve the top grades.Students know this a
240、nd so choose easier subjects.International dimension in independent schoolsSixty out of sixty-three independent schools surveyed reported opportunities for their pupils and/or teachers to gain international experience in their school(see Table 29).No.of responding schoolsPupils go on trips abroad 55
241、We employ language assistants 42We engage with cultural institutes(e.g.Confucius Institute,Goethe-Institut,Institut Franais,Gael Linn,Consejera de Educacin)28The school has one or more partner schools abroad 25The school has combined school trips abroad with other departments 23Pupils can do work ex
242、perience abroad 15Other(please specify)7British Council international opportunities4Table 29:Opportunities for pupils and/or teachers to gain international experience in responding independent secondary schools(respondents ticked all that applied)LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202535In total,42 independent
243、 schools employ language assistants in the following languages:No.of responding schoolsFrench speaking Language Assistant 38German speaking Language Assistant 34Mandarin speaking Language Assistant 15Spanish speaking Language Assistant 43Language Assistant for other language (Arabic,Italian,Russian,
244、Japanese)12Table 30:Language Assistants employed in responding independent schoolsTecher recruitment in independent secondary schoolsRecruitment of qualified language teachers is an issue in over half(n=35)of independent schools surveyed(see Figure 15).Approximately one third of respondents did not
245、report teacher recruitment to be an issue.Figure 15:Answers from teachers in independent schools to Is recruitment of qualified teachers an issue for your department?Use of Artificial Intelligence(AI)technology in the independent languages classroomMost participating independent schools reported the
246、 use of AI in language teaching(see Figure 16),either regularly every week(n=15),or occasionally in a few lessons per month(n=42).Learners are allowed to use AI technology to support their language learning in approximately seven out of ten responding independent schools,and teachers commented the f
247、ollowing on learner AI usage:“They do use AI to support their learning,but I think that AI is not positive for real language learning.Students look to AI and dont look to understand and so their writing and their real communication is endangered.”“As part of their learning,in particular pronunciatio
248、n practice,yes.Not in support of their own language creation.”Yes,a major issueYes,a minor issueNo,not an issueI dont knowOther(please specify)Is recruitment of qualified language teachers an issue for your department?1025322336LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025“A level learners use AI to collect up to da
249、te facts and data on subjects such as youth unemployment figures in Spain rather than rely on figures printed in a textbook 15 years ago.”Figure 16:Responses from independent schools to How often does your department make use of AI technology(such as ChatGPT,Diffet,etc)in lan-guage teaching?Regularl
250、y(i.e.,every week)Occasionally(i.e.,in a few lessons per month)Never(we are unsure of what AI can do)Frequency of AI usage in language teaching15426LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 202537ConclusionIt is a good news story that entries for GCSE languages have increased from 2023 to 2024 and we can see through
251、our data that the tide is turning.Likewise at A-level,numbers are increasing.As previously suggested by the Language Trends series,if current trends continue,it is likely that Spanish will overtake French as the most popular GCSE in the next two years;its place as the most popular A level language i
252、s now secure.In primary schools,there remains work to be done to recognise the importance of languages on the curriculum and efforts to improve transition from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3 need to be refined through further investment.Teachers are keen to teach languages,but the overwhelming message i
253、s that they need more resources and upskilling in languages.Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform teaching and learning of languages and its use could be further explored,particularly in the primary sector where there are many non-specialist teachers.In state secondary and independe
254、nt schools,the growth of the international dimension is pleasing to see.Coupled with the generally positive reception of the new GCSE in French,German and Spanish,there is every reason to hope that the future of language learning in Englands schools is on a more stable footing than in recent years.N
255、evertheless,the social disparities highlighted in this report are a cause for concern;resources need to be targeted at those pupils who are most disadvantaged,so that all children have an opportunity to excel in language learning.Good quality language teaching can best be delivered by teachers who h
256、ave the necessary subject knowledge and pedagogical skills in second language education;it is worrying that recruitment of MFL teachers is below target,despite financial incentives to undertake initial teacher training or education.State and independent schools are struggling to fill vacancies and p
257、upils success will only be achieved if we have the right languages teachers in the right classrooms delivering the curriculum.By working together,the languages community can achieve great things in the near future,as it has done so over recent years.Lets continue to champion the importance of all la
258、nguages taught and spoken in our schools.On y va!Auf gehts!Vamos!38LANGUAGE TRENDS ENGLAND 2025Reference BibliographyBraun,V.and Clarke,C.(2006).Using thematic analysis in psychology,Qualitative Research in Psychology,3(2),pp.77101Department for Education(2020)English proficiency:pupils with English
259、 as an additional language.Online Available at:https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-proficiency-pupils-with-english-as-additional-language(Accessed 29/04/25)Department for Education(2024)Schools,pupils and their characteristics.Online Available at:https:/explore-education-statistics.ser
260、vice.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics/2023-24#dataBlock-892e8acf-47ca-4abc-b337-38a0bbcf9e6c-tables(Accessed 17/04/25)Department for Education(2025)Curriculum and Assessment Review Interim Report.Online Available at:https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-a
261、nd-assessment-review-interim-report(Accessed 26/04/25)Holmes,B.and Myles,F.(2019)White Paper:Primary Languages Policy in England The Way Forward.RiPL.Online Available at:www.ripl.uk/policyHumphries,E.,Carruthers,J.,and Henderson,L.(2024)Strengthening Provision for Home,Heritage and Community Languag
262、e Qualifications:Recommendations for Policy and Practice.Languages,Society and Policy.Online Available at:https:/ Schools Council(2025)Common Entrance Exam.Online Available at:https:/www.isc.co.uk/schools/sub-pages/common-entrance/(Accessed 01/05/25)Institute of Education(IOE)(2025)Mandarin Excellen
263、ce Programme.Online Available at:https:/ci.ioe.ac.uk/mandarin-excellence-programme/(Accessed 25/03/25)McLean,D.and Worth,J.(2025)Teacher Labour Market in England:Annual Report 2025.Slough:NFER.Online Available at:https:/www.nfer.ac.uk/publications/teacher-labour-market-in-england-annual-report-2025/
264、(Accessed 05/05/25)National Consortium for Languages Education(NCLE)(2025)Language Hubs.Online Available at:https:/ncle-language-hubs.ucl.ac.uk/language-hubs/(Accessed 28/04/25)OECD(2024)How 15-Year-Olds Learn English:Case Studies from Finland,Greece,Israel,the Netherlands and Portugal.Online Availa
265、ble at:https:/doi.org/10.1787/a3fcacd5-en(Accessed 27/04/25)The Centre for Latin Excellence(2025)Latin Excellence Programme.Online Available at:https:/latinexcellence.org/(Accessed 25/03/25)British Council 2025 The British Council is the United Kingdoms international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
0731-84720580
sgpjbg002
友链申请 (QQ)：1169843351
研报
新质生产力
DeepSeek
低空经济
大模型
AI Agent
AI Infra
具身智能
自动驾驶
宠物
银发经济
人形机器人
企业出海
算力
微短剧
薪酬
白皮书
创新药
人工智能
AI产业
信息科技
互联网
消费经济
汽车交通
电商零售
传媒娱乐
医药健康
投资金融
能源环境
地产建筑
传统产业
英文报告
其它
最新报告
中英对照
全文搜索
报告精选
PDF上传翻译
多格式文档互转
入驻&报告售卖
会员权益
机构报告
券商研报
财报库
专题合集
英文报告
数据图表
会议报告
其他资源
行业聚焦
芯片产业
热点概念
全球咨询智库
人工智能
500强
新质生产力
会议峰会
新能源汽车
企业年报
互联网
公司研究
行业综观
消费教育
科技通信
医药健康
人力资源
投资金融
汽车产业
物流地产
电子商务
传统产业
传媒营销
其它
2025低空经济/低空产业报告合集（共50套打包）
十五五规划系列报告合集（共22套打包）
AI、科技与通信
广告、传媒与营销
消费、零售与支付
HR、文化与旅游
金融、保险与投资
能源、环境与工业
医疗制药与大健康
物流、地产与建筑
其他行业
AI ▪ 科技 ▪ 通信
数字化
金融财经
智能制造
电商传媒
地产建筑
医疗医学
能源化工
其他行业
收藏
下载
2025-07-14
AI查数
行业数据
政策法规
商业模式
产业链
竞争格局
市场规模
产业概述
其它
2025年
AI读财报
年报
一季报
半年报
三季报
IPO招股书
社会责任报告
A股
IPO申报
港股
美股&全球
新三板
扫码登录
手机快捷登录
账号登录
