Mind your language
Data briefing on trends in language
teaching and learning
22nd September 2016
A good school for every child
Introduction
In the wake of Ofqual raising concerns that the increase in native speakers of foreign languages
taking exams in their mother tongue could be distorting exam results, New Schools Network (NSN)
analysed the uptake of languages across the country. The findings show that despite a recent
recovery the traditional Modern Foreign Language (MFL) subjects of French, German and Spanish
are in decline, while other modern languages – particularly ‘community languages’ often taken by
pupils in their mother tongue – are experiencing rising levels of popularity. The research also
highlights the startling effect of deprivation on a student’s choice of which language to study. In
many of the poorest areas of the country, students face a far more limiting choice of languages,
effectively hindering their progression onto higher education.
Key Findings
1.
In recent years, particularly following the introduction of the EBacc, there has been a surge in
traditional MFL entries at GCSE, but signs are that this is now tailing off, with falling numbers at
both GCSE and A-Level. This is set against increasing popularity for other modern languages,
particularly community languages, over the past few years.
2.
Deprivation is a key factor in choice of language, with students in more deprived areas far less
likely to study for an MFL subject and more likely to study a community language.
3.
There is a clear need for schools to ensure their students have the option to study the languages
that will prove most beneficial for their future education and employment.
4.
Free schools offer more opportunities to study languages and have in many cases implemented
innovative new curricula to improve pupils’ learning. Schools such as the Europa School in
Oxfordshire have used the free school programme to introduce a more innovative, bilingual,
curriculum that offers students the opportunity to study French or German for half of the week.
About New Schools Network
New Schools Network is a charity that provides support to groups wanting to set up free schools:
www.newschoolsnetwork.org.
We believe that too many children attend schools that are failing. We have some brilliant schools in
our country, but there aren’t enough good places to go round. One in seven children go to failing
primary schools and one in four children go to failing secondary schools. In many parts of the
country, parents have no option other than to send their children to schools that are not good
enough. In total, across England, 1.4 million children do so, and one in four parents say that given
the option, they would have picked another school for their child.
Free schools

Free schools are state funded schools that are independent of local authority control. They have
the freedom to decide the length of school day and term, their curriculum, teacher pay and how
they spend their budgets.

There are over 500 free schools now open or approved to open across England. Once full they
will provide over 330,000 new school places.

More than three quarters of free schools that have been inspected have been judged as Good or
Outstanding. They are more likely to be judged as Outstanding than other state schools.
Take-up of MFL subjects at GCSE and A-Level
GCSE
 The majority of schools teach one or more of French, German and Spanish, and these are
classified as ‘traditional’ modern foreign languages. Although the Government does not
specifically recommend any particular language for study, the DfE’s GCSE subject content guide
provides particular guidance on these traditional MFL subjects.

The Russell Group considers French, German and Spanish to be ‘facilitating subjects’ at A-level,
and prizes these languages in their applicants.

Language learning in England is consistently poor when compared with foreign language learning
in other countries, and there have been regular calls from industry and educational bodies for
the levels of attainment to be raised.1

The Language Trends Survey has shown that take-up of the Modern Foreign Languages has been
falling over the last decade, since the need to take a compulsory GCSE in a Modern Foreign
Language was removed in 2004.

However, there has been a recovery in entries in the last five years. Analysis of Department for
Education data shows that from 2011 onwards there has been a rise in the proportion of GCSE
entries that are for MFL subjects.

There was a clear spike in MFL entries in 2012/13, most likely fuelled by the introduction of the
EBacc. Overall, there were more than 50,000 more entries in MFL subjects in 2013 than in the
previous year, rising from 253,685 to 304,874.
Graph 1: Proportion of total entries in all schools that are in MFL subjects at GCSE over the last five
years
6.80%
6.65%
6.58%
6.60%
6.40%
6.26%
6.20%
6.00%
5.80%
5.74%
5.73%
5.60%
5.40%
5.20%
2010/2011

1
2011/2012
2012/2013
2013/2014
2014/2015
This increase is now tailing off with a drop between 2013/14 and 2014/15. At this point it is too
early to see if the increased proportion of MFL entries will be continued as it is set against a
decade-long trend of falling numbers.
Inspiring Growth: CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Survey 2015, University of Cambridge: What is the value
of languages to the UK?, and HMCI’s monthly commentary: May 2016

These trends have not been uniformly reflected across all subjects. French remains the most
popular MFL subject by far at GCSE, with nearly three times as many entries as German, and
nearly twice as popular as Spanish. German has seen a significant fall over the past five years,
and Spanish has grown in popularity. The impact of the EBacc can be seen across all three
languages, although German experienced the smallest surge.
Graph 2: Proportion of MFL entries of total entries over the past five years by subject at GCSE
4.00%
3.53%
3.50%
3.45%
3.14%
3.00%
3.27%
3.06%
2.50%
1.88%
1.80%
2.00%
1.50%
1.30%
1.00%
1.29%
1.85%
1.43%
1.24%
1.32%
1.25%
1.14%
0.50%
0.00%
2010/11
2011/12
French
2012/13
German
2013/14
2014/15
Spanish
A-Level
 In the last five years, there has been a decline in the number of students taking A-Levels in MFL
subjects with a fall of more than 2,000 students taking up the subjects. In 2011, there were
22,442 of a total 782,771 entries in MFL subjects (2.87%), which fell to 20,222 of a total of
758,625 (2.67%).

There has been a slight uptick in the last two years, likely reflecting the increased number of
GCSE entries due to the introduction of the EBacc.
Graph 3: Proportion of total entries that are in MFL subjects at A-Level over the last five years
2.90%
2.85%
2.87%
2.80%
2.75%
2.73%
2.70%
2.67%
2.65%
2.61%
2.60%
2.62%
2.55%
2.50%
2.45%
2010/11

2011/12
2012/13
2013/14
2014/15
Initial statistics for this year’s exams suggest that this gain is now falling off, with the proportion
of exams sat in MFL subjects down slightly.

As with GCSE, Spanish has had an uplift in popularity despite this decline. Although French and
German have both fallen in popularity at A-Level, Spanish has seen a thousand more students
taking the subject, bringing the total number of entries in 2015 to 7,607.

If the current trends for French and Spanish continue along these lines, then Spanish will
overtake French as the most popular language among students within two years. New 2016 data
suggests that Spanish now sits just 0.1% behind French in terms of the number of exams sat in
these subjects.
Graph 4: Proportion of MFL entries of total entries over the past five years by subject at A-Level
1.60%
1.40%
1.47%
1.39%
1.28%
1.22%
1.20%
1.00%
1.19%
0.82%
0.80%
0.60%
0.58%
0.80%
0.54%
0.89%
0.84%
1.00%
0.50%
0.49%
0.48%
0.40%
0.20%
0.00%
2010/11
2011/12
French
2012/13
German
2013/14
Spanish
2014/15
Community languages

Pupils are however more likely than ever to study a ‘community language’. These are often
subjects studied by pupils that already have proficiency in that language. For the purposes of this
study the following subjects are labelled as community languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese,
Dutch, Gujarati, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Persian, Polish,
Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish and Urdu.

Guidance suggests community languages are less valued by employers and universities – the
Russell Group considers French, German and Spanish to be ‘facilitating subjects’, and prizes
these languages in their applicants.

There have also been concerns raised by Ofqual that the increase in native speakers of foreign
languages taking exams in their mother tongue could be distorting A-Level and GCSE results.

Research suggests that many students of community languages may be already fluent in the
language, and some are therefore taking the subject for an easy qualification2. This seems to be
echoed by performance in grades. Analysis of the GCSE Subject Tables shows that achievement
in community languages at GCSE is higher than in traditional MFL subjects, with nearly nine
pupils in ten achieving an A*-C grade in the community languages. Pupils are also more than
twice as likely to achieve an A*-A in these subjects than they are in the traditional modern
foreign languages. 3

Analysis of Department for Education data shows there has been a clear increase in the number
of entries in community languages at GCSE, rising from 18,500 in 2011 to more than 21,000 in
2015.

The increase in community languages studied has remained steady over time, while the
proportion of MFL entries has fluctuated. The largest surge in community languages came
between 2011/12 and 2012/13, with an increase of more than 1,200 entries.
Graph 5: Percentage change in MFL and Community Language uptake at GCSE since 2011
20%
304,874
306,196
15%
21,358
20,916
10%
288,666
20,438
19,195
5%
18,606
0%
2011
258,729
-5%
2012
253,685
% change in MFL takeup
2
GCSE Trends 1988-2014, Alan Smithers
2013
2014
2015
% change in Community Language takeup

At A-Level, the pattern is even clearer. Over the last five years there has been a steep rise in the
number of students taking A-Levels in community language subjects with an increase of more
than 700 entries. In 2011 there were 6,799 entries in community languages, which grew to 7,510
in 2015. This increase is particularly noteworthy as over the same period, the total number of ALevel entries fell from 782,771 to 758,625.

There has been a larger than average rise in the last year, with 500 more entries than in
2013/14. Over the period, take-up of the Modern Foreign Languages has decreased.
Graph 6: Percentage change in MFL and Community Language uptake at A-Level since 2011
15.00%
7,510
10.00%
0.00%
7,084
7,099
5.00%
7,066
6,799
2011
22,442
2012
2013
2014
2015
-5.00%
21,276
-10.00%
20,222
20,168
-15.00%
19,411
MFL
Community
Language choice and deprivation

Analysis of subject-level data from the 2015 Performance Tables identified the areas where
there is highest take-up of community languages. At A-Level, there were seven local authorities
where there was actually a higher number of students undertaking community languages than
MFL subjects.
Table 1: local authorities where more students are taking A-Levels in community languages than MFL
Local Authority Number of
Proportion of Number Proportion of IMD (1 =
entries in
entries in
of entries students in
most
community community in MFL
MFL
deprived)
languages
languages
Waltham Forest 80
2.42%
42
1.27%
2
North
33
2.27%
20
1.38%
5
Lincolnshire
Wolverhampton 36
1.81%
22
1.11%
1
Southampton
39
2.60%
24
1.60%
2
Sandwell
13
0.57%
8
0.35%
1
Islington
50
2.00%
46
1.84%
1
Enfield
109
2.84%
105
2.73%
2

In Waltham Forest, nearly twice as many students are taking an A-Level in a community
language as are taking French, German or Spanish. There are six other local authorities where
there is a higher proportion of entries in community languages rather than MFL subjects.

Although there are several local authorities – such as Hammersmith and Fulham – which have a
high proportion of entries in MFL and community languages, in most cases where there is a high
proportion of students taking community language A-Levels, there is a corresponding dip in the
number of MFL entries.

This trend is echoed at GCSE. Although no local authority has a higher proportion of entries in
community languages, as at A-Level, there is a clear link between areas of economic deprivation
and a higher proportion of community languages being taken compared to MFL.

There is also no indication that in any of these areas schools are encouraging students who are
already bilingual to take an additional language. Research shows4 that speakers of multiple
languages find learning a new one to be easier, but in areas of high community language uptake
this does not appear to be happening.
4
Bilinguals find it easier to learn a third language, University of Haifa, February 2011
Table 2: local authorities with the lowest proportion of MFL entries to community language at GCSE
(lowest 10)
Local Authority Number of
Proportion of
Number Proportion IMD (1 =
entries in
students taking of
of students most
community
a GCSE in a
entries taking a
deprived)
languages
community
in MFL
GCSE in an
language
MFL
Haringey
480
3.04%
1035
6.57%
1
Tower Hamlets 477
2.24%
1102
5.16%
1
Blackburn
226
1.68%
580
4.30%
2
Luton
303
1.58%
1017
5.31%
3
Enfield
642
2.09%
2155
7.03%
3
Islington
205
1.82%
709
6.29%
2
Hackney
300
1.92%
1085
6.95%
2
Manchester
523
1.50%
1930
5.52%
2
Brent
479
1.86%
1914
7.45%
3
Waltham Forest 294
1.47%
1189
5.93%
2

A link between economic deprivation and a bias towards community languages is even more
pronounced when the ratio of MFL to community language uptake is studied across the country.
Graph 7: Ratio of MFL/community language uptake by deprivation for GCSE and A-Level5
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
Least
Deprived
(1)
2
3
4
5
6
A-Level
7
GCSE
8
9
Most
Deprived
(10)

The more prosperous an area of the country is, the more likely it is that students will choose to
study a traditional MFL. However, as deprivation increases it becomes far more probable that
instead they will take a qualification in a community language, a qualification that is less valued
by universities.

In the most deprived parts of the country there is one community language entry for every six in
MFL; for the least deprived it is one for every twelve. The situation is worse at A-Level, where for
every two traditional MFL entries there is a community language entry in the poorest areas,
compared to just one in every ten in the richest.
5
Local authority districts were linked to their corresponding decile in the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015,
which ranks parts of the country from the most deprived (Decile 1) to the least (Decile 10). English indices of
deprivation, DCLG, September 2015
Impact on free schools

New Schools Network wants to see more young people given the opportunity to study
languages, particularly those valued most by universities and employers. The free school
programme has established the first ever state bilingual schools and offered teachers a way to
create schools with the Modern Foreign Languages at the heart of their curriculum.

By encouraging more free schools to come forward to build centres of MFL excellence in every
region, every child regardless of their background can have the opportunity to learn a language.

Free schools are already using their freedom to introduce new and innovative new curricula. The
Europa Free School in Oxfordshire offers a bilingual curriculum, in which pupils spend half the
week learning in English and the other half in either French or German. All pupils are expected to
take and be examined in a broad range of subjects.

The Cobham Free School has introduced a cross-curricular approach to learning to ensure MFL
subjects are incorporated across the school, including drama lessons where children rehearse in
French, music lessons where the students learn new vocabulary suggested by the MFL
department and encouraging senior pupils to participate in a European Day of Languages poster
competition against other schools.

La Fontaine Academy in Bromley is another school aimed at instilling a love of languages in
children from a young age. The primary school, which opened in 2014, has a strong emphasis on
language learning, including delivering a number of lessons and activities in French.
Contacts
Phil Copple
Research and Campaigns Officer
[email protected]
020 7952 8499