languages learning in schools is slowly recovering from the pandemic, with the Government on track to miss its targets, according to a new report.
The Language Trends Survey – from the British Council of more than 1,500 state primary, public secondary and private schools – notes that the government is on track to meet all its targets for English Baccalaureate (EBacc), apart from languages.
The EBacc aims to ensure that students take English Language, Literature, Mathematics, Science, a Humanities subject and a Modern Foreign Language at the GCSE.
The government plans to have 75% of students study the EBacc subject combination at GCSE by 2022, for qualifications to be awarded in 2024, and 90% to do so by 2025, for qualifications awarded in 2027.
For all other issues, the government is on track to meet the target, with the exception of foreign languages.
The survey found that four in five primary schools had been teaching languages for more than five years, representing a 2% increase from 2021 and a 5% increase from 2019, with students in most of these schools make progress in one foreign language.
But the data showed significant variation in the amount of time primary school students spend on languages, with some schools spending less than half an hour a week teaching, while ideally students would get at least an hour a week from a teacher with a diploma. level of command of the language.
The survey found that in practice weekly language teaching does not take place in one in four primary schools due to problems such as the distribution of teachers’ time across grades, with fifth grade having languages for half of the year and sixth grade having the other. half. human resources and extracurricular activities.
French is the most taught language in primary education and is significantly ahead Spanishalthough this trend is not reflected at A level.
The survey also shows a decrease in travel abroad.
It found that the pandemic had led to a “significant reduction” in school trips and other international activities as part of language learning, with the exception of private schools where opportunities were greater.
International activities include traveling abroad, collaborating with a school abroad, participating in international projects or receiving a language assistant.
Previous Language Trends reports have shown that international opportunities for learners have declined since 2018.
The 2022 report found that nearly 70% of primary schools surveyed said they had had no international involvement in the past year, while 45% of public secondary schools reported the same.
In private schools, only 18% said they had no international ties, up from 7% in 2021.
The report found that Spanish was the most popular language at A-level for the third year in a row, with more than 8,000 submissions, and that French will overtake the most popular language on GCSE by 2026 if current trends continue.
German has fallen slightly, while enrollment in other modern languages plummeted in 2020 as students learning languages in Saturday schools or community institutions failed to receive a teacher-rated grade for their work during the pandemic.
While these languages are showing some signs of recovery, access rates remain well below pre-pandemic levels.
Vicky Gough, British Council School Adviser, said: “Our research highlights the impact Covid-19 continues to have on language teaching and learning and shows that recent years have been extremely challenging for schools.
“It is vital that schools prioritize language learning and reestablish links with national and international schools and universities. The benefits of having language skills and some knowledge of other cultures cannot be overstated, especially as the UK is renegotiating its place on the global stage.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said: “The EBacc remains vital to give all children the same opportunity to succeed in key academic subjects, and we have already exceeded our 75 percent enrollment target in four out of five subject areas.
“We are reforming the GCSEs for modern foreign languages to encourage more students to take these important courses and broaden their horizons.
“We have also increased language scholarships to attract more talented teachers to the profession, invested £4.8 million in a pilot project to improve quality and adoption, and from next year a network of modern foreign language hubs on to put.”