The take-up of languages at GCSE is significantly lower in less affluent state schools across England, a report suggests..

Around half of GCSE students in state schools study a modern foreign language (MFL) - except in the most affluent areas, where take-up is significantly higher, according to the British Council’s Language Trends report.

The survey of teachers at 1,011 schools in England suggests that the difficulties in recruiting languages teachers have hit schools serving disadvantaged communities the hardest.

Difficulties hiring qualified MFL teachers

Some 68 per cent of the least affluent schools reported difficulties hiring qualified MFL teachers, compared with 57 per cent in the most affluent schools.

In the most affluent schools (quintile one), teachers reported that 69 per cent of Year 11 students were studying a language for GCSE on average, compared with 47 per cent in the most deprived schools (quintile five). Overall, teachers reported that 53 per cent of students were studying a language for GCSE.

Researchers calculated the quintiles, from the least to most deprived areas, based on the percentage of students on free school meals (FSM); quintile one has the lowest percentage of children on FSM and quintile five the highest.

The survey comes after the British Council welcomed the government’s plan to “cooperate further on a youth experience scheme” with the European Union, amid hopes this will allow more modern language assistants to come to the UK. A deal has yet to be struck on the scheme, however.

The report says: “Schools in more affluent areas are more likely, by over 20 percentage points, to have more pupils learning a language.”

Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: “This year’s report shows a clear gap in language learning linked to socioeconomic background.

“Last year we found just 6 per cent of students across the UK thought it was very likely they’d use another language in their future career.

“Together, these findings highlight a stark reality: young people from less privileged backgrounds are missing out on opportunities their peers are more likely to access.”

The report also suggests that small class sizes are making it harder for schools to keep language courses running at A level.

Just over half of schools reported having the capacity to offer A-level languages, either delivered within the school or in partnership with a neighbouring school.

But among the least affluent schools, this figure dropped to just 31 per cent.

Local decisions with national consequences

Report author Dr Ian Collen, from Queen’s University Belfast, said: “I continue to be concerned about small MFL classes not running at A level.

“Local decisions have national consequences; when multiplied throughout England, it means that the language learning journey stops for hundreds of young people.”

Dr Collen added: “We must invest at post-16 to ensure a healthier pipeline into further and higher education and, indeed, the economy.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Schools in all communities work very hard to provide excellent opportunities for their students to learn languages and fully recognise the benefits of language learning.

“However, this is one of the subject areas that is affected by severe teacher shortages across the country, and these can be most acute in schools serving disadvantaged communities.”

Mr Di’Iasio added: “In addition, languages are perceived as a difficult option, and this may deter children from disadvantaged backgrounds who lack academic confidence, and who may have had fewer opportunities to travel than their peers and, therefore, less exposure to other languages.

“We would like to see further action taken to support schools in boosting language learning.”

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “There are huge benefits for children learning a foreign language and there is some excellent language teaching in both primary and secondary schools.

“However, as this report shows, some schools are struggling to recruit the language teachers they need to offer courses at GCSE and beyond, with recruitment targets for modern foreign languages missed in the last couple of years.”

Mr Whiteman said that this situation “needs addressing urgently if more pupils are to learn a language”.

Earlier this month another British Council report, focused on Northern Ireland, suggested that artificial intelligence could boost language learning in schools.

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