Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase foreign language teaching as part of the school curriculum and also to promote the lifelong learning of foreign languages in order to improve the UK’s skill base.

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measure, which includes languages, has seen the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) increase from 40% in 2010 to 46% in 2018. The reformed national curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in key stage 2.

The £4.8 million MFL Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018. It is managed by the newly appointed MFL Centre for Excellence and is run through 9 school led hubs, to improve uptake and attainment in languages at key stages 3 and 4. The department has also launched a pilot project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive up participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils.

Recruiting MFL teachers is a priority for the government. The government offers generous financial incentives for languages teaching, including scholarships in MFL worth £28,000, and tax-free bursaries, typically worth up to £26,000. The government is also working in partnership with Spain’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to deliver Spain’s Visiting Teachers Programme to provide schools with access to a pool of qualified teachers from Spain who are able to teach MFL. In addition to this, the department has a Teacher Subject Specialism Training programme which aims to improve the subject knowledge of non-specialist teachers and returning teachers in MFL.

The department is also continuing to promote the value of language qualifications to students who are choosing their GCSEs. The department recently published and promoted a guidance leaflet for parents, attached, which explains why studying a language, as part of the EBacc, broadens opportunities in both education and employment. In February, the department drew attention to the benefits of studying a language among 13 to 14 year olds through a social media campaign.