Language Teaching in English Schools Facing a Difficult Time

The most recent study revealed that the teaching of language classes in many English schools is in for a very difficult time. The study, which was conducted by the British Council and the CfBT Education Trust reveals there is cause for concern due to the low performance in the A-levels and GCSEs for languages.

New study

The study also found that language teachers thought that it was a challenge to get students to study languages after they have reached the age of 16. Meanwhile, the Department of Education reports that there has been an increase in the number of students enrolling in languages at their GCSE.

The study is called Language Trend Survey. It is done annually and this year’s report is the 13th edition. It is a research done to measure the condition of learning and language teaching in British schools. The survey is conducted online, participated by teachers from about 600 primary schools and 500 secondary schools run by the state, and 120 independent secondary schools around the country.

Some positive developments

Although there were some negative points, there were also some positive developments that happened. About 99% of primary schools around the country are offering languages while about half of the primary schools introduced students to a language in Key Stage 1, which was not a compulsory requirement.

At GCSE and A-levels there had been an increase in the number of students learning Spanish, although there was a decrease in students learning other languages such as German and French.

With the recognition that UK needs speakers of Mandarin Chinese, which is crucial if the UK is to maintain its competitiveness in the long term, there had been an increase in the number of schools offering the language.

It was an encouraging development, with primary schools beginning to take up statutory language teaching, according to the co-author of the report, Teresa Tinsley. It is good to know that primary school children are discovering new cultures and languages.

A set-back

Still, she said that there was a set-back when it comes to secondary schools, as the teachers felt the increased demands of performance pressures and exams do not work seamlessly for languages, since the priority subjects are science and maths.

It could be alarming because this runs contrary to the repeated calls from the business sector to increase the knowledge of foreign languages. Ms. Tinsley said that they should give more credit to teachers and pupils who are focused on languages and the long-term benefits of having the ability to speak a foreign language fluently.

What compounds the problem is the increasing trend especially in state schools where pupils are being excused from studying languages because it increases tuition in numeracy and literacy, which, according to the report is related to socio-economic disadvantage.

The British Council, through its chief executive, Ciaran Devane, said that the future prosperity of the UK is being impeded by the country’s lack of skills in foreign languages. Although they believe that language learning in schools is not yet lost, it will need the cooperation and concerted effort of all concerned to make it happen.

Image credit: Middle Schoolers, Flickr photo by Energy.gov under Public Domain.