The British Council’s annual language trends report has found that Brexit may be reducing the perceived value of foreign language courses.
The study says that 34 percent of state secondary schools reported that Brexit is having a negative impact on language learning in terms of student motivation and parental attitudes.
One typical comment was: ‘We regularly have questions from pupils or parents about the value of learning a language, as ‘we don’t need it’ and ‘everyone should speak English’ […]
‘Brexit is often touted as a reason not to do a language’, the report says.
The schools reporting this shift were more likely to have lower attainment and more students eligible for free meals. There was also an especially high correlation with low numbers of students who had English as an Additional Language.
Ten per cent of respondents reported that senior management had developed more positive attitudes towards language study since Brexit.
‘We are determined to maintain both language teaching and our foreign (student) exchange, after Brexit.
It is more important than ever, for intercultural understanding and also for employment prospects for our pupils’, one respondent said.
The report also shows that students in poorer school districts have less access to and lower enrolment in foreign language courses.
The number of state schools where less than a quarter of students study languages at GCSE rose from 19 to 23 percent in 2017, according to the report.
The research shows that schools with a higher percentage of pupil eligibility for free school meals and with lower levels of academic achievement in the 15-16 age bracket are more likely to fall into this category. This reflects a widening gap between the best and worst-performing schools, the report says.
‘The research shows that there is a growing rift between schools where languages are valued and developed imaginatively as part of a stimulating curriculum and those which are struggling to overcome disadvantage and a growth in negative attitudes’, report author Teresa Tinsley said.
‘These schools will need support and encouragement if all pupils across the board are to enjoy the enriching experience of learning a language’.
Independent private schools are much more likely to offer foreign language courses especially in languages like Chinese, Russian, Latin and Ancient Greek.
The report also finds that uptake of French and German at GCSE (at 16) and A Level (at 18) has fallen nearly 33 and 37 percent respectively over the past two decades
Overall, the proportion of students taking a language at GCSE has dropped 29 percent since 2002. The number of students taking language A Levels has declined by roughly 13 percent.
The report predicts that based on current trends, Spanish, which reached a new high of 7,600 entries for GCSE and A Levels this year, will overtake French as England’s most widely taught modern language at A Level by 2020 and at GCSE by 2025.
Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: ‘At a time when it is more important than ever that the UK forges new relationships around the world, languages need to be championed and treated as a national priority so that young people are equipped with the knowledge and skills to live and work in a global economy’.
