Call for ‘tough action’ as fewer pupils study foreign languages
ANEW report calls for “tough action” to get Welsh schoolchildren learning foreign languages amid concern over plummeting take-up levels among GCSE pupils.
The Welsh Government scheme to promote languages is having little impact, according to the report commissioned by the British Council Wales.
The Language Trends Wales report, based on findings from more than half of all secondary schools around Wales, shows teachers are “extremely worried about the future of modern foreign languages”.
It says that in more than a third of Welsh schools the number of GCSE pupils taking a modern foreign language class has dropped to below 10%. Almost half of Welsh schools have fewer than five pupils studying a foreign language at AS-level and that figure rises to more than 60% at A-level.
Most schools have just one or two full-time teachers in modern foreign language departments.
And figures will decline even further next year, the document warns.
It blames the trend on the number of compulsory subjects pupils are required to study and the introduction of the Welsh Baccalaureate.
“At post-16 level (Years 12-13) many schools no longer offer MFL (modern foreign languages) and those that do are often teaching small classes.
“Teachers say that such small classes mean it may not be financially viable for their schools to continue to offer MFL in the future.”
Competition from STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) and a belief that it is harder to get top grades in MFL than other subjects are causing the decline in numbers of pupils opting to study languages at A-level, researchers found.
The report says the Welsh Government’s programme to promote MFL in schools, Global Futures, is popular with teachers, but so far it is having limited impact on take-up.
British Council Wales says it is “calling for tough action to stem the decline in MFL learning”.
Jenny Scott, director of British Council Wales, said: “There’s no doubt Wales needs a new generation of linguists to help deliver the Welsh Government’s aspirations for a prosperous and outward-looking Wales.
“The continued decline in numbers learning languages is very worrying, especially in the light of Brexit, which means that more than ever businesses will need language skills to help seal deals with international customers.
“The benefits of studying or working abroad for young people are well known; international experiences build confidence, enhance career prospects and even lead to better exam results for students,.
“We fully support Welsh Government’s efforts to encourage more Welsh pupils to study a language. We are 18 months into its Global Futures plan to promote MFL learning, which our survey found is popular with teachers.
“However, while the number of Alevel entries across all subjects has increased by 7% since 2001, it is shocking to see the continued decline in the number of entrants for MFL. We are calling on the Welsh Government to take strong action now to stem this decline.”
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “Our action plan to improve take-up of languages is already under way. We believe languages play an important part in giving a young person a well-rounded education.”