Dr Fiona Barclay (Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Stirling) looks at how the decline in language uptake can be reversed.
The recent publication of the British Council’s Language Trends Scotland report provides a welcome insight into the state of language teaching across Scotland.
Produced by the team at Queen’s University Belfast – who have produced the sister publications in the other UK jurisdictions since 2019 – it focuses for the first time on language delivery in Scotland’s schools.
Language delivery in Scotland is closely bound up with the SNP government, which introduced the ambitious 1+2 languages policy in 2012. Backed by £37M of investment, it aimed to enable children to begin learning a second language (L2) in P1 (age 5) and a third language (L3) in P5 (age 10) and to continue learning two languages until the end of S3 (age 14).
After being extended due to the pandemic, implementation was completed in 2022. The biannual report last published by the Scottish Government in 2024 indicated that 99% of primary schools were providing either a full or partial L2 entitlement during 2022-23.
This policy has been implemented against a backdrop of sustained decline in language entries to national qualifications. Since 2015, entries in French, Spanish and German Advanced Higher have fallen 11%, Highers have fallen 27%, and entries below Higher (that is, National 2 to National 5) have fallen 14%. This overall picture hides the fact that while French is in steep decline, dropping 50% from 2015-24, Spanish has risen 26% from a low base over the same period.
So, what underlies these facts? The Language Trends report offers some new insights.
In primary schools French remains the dominant language, with 83% of primaries delivering it as L2. Spanish is second at 37%, and a wide range of other languages are taught in low numbers. This raises the question of why pupils, who have been taught French from P1-S3, are no longer choosing to take it for national qualifications?
Uneven provision
A number of clues point to possible answers. Firstly, we know from the Scottish Government’s 2023 1+2 survey of Local Authorities that language provision is not continuous. In it, 68% of primary schools indicated that they provide full delivery of L2, with 31% providing partial delivery of L2. For secondary schools, the L2 figure for continuous delivery from S1 to S3 was 61%, and partial delivery was 39%.
Approximately a third of schools therefore allow pupils to drop languages after S2 despite the Scottish Government’s policy that entitlement should continue to the end of S3. The reasons for the unevenness of provision are unclear, although changes in staffing and resourcing are likely to play a part. Inconsistency of provision may result in a perception among learners that languages are less important than consistently delivered subjects such as English, Maths and PE.
Teaching time
Secondly, the Language Trends findings provide new insights into delivery, indicating that, in primary school, the average time given to language learning in a week is 30-60 minutes, including after the L3 is introduced.
Research by Graham et al (2017) found that an hour per week of language teaching time was the threshold necessary for detectable learner progress. Looking at the decline in French, it is possible that French being delivered with limited progression over the 7 years of primary may lead to learner demotivation.
In contrast, when Spanish, with its reputation as an easier language, is introduced at a later stage, learners may be able to build quickly on their existing knowledge of French as a Romance language. When paired with the attractions of Spain as a holiday destination, learners may have a more satisfying experience of learning Spanish.
The Language Trends findings provide a further clue to learner experience. Almost all delivery (94%) in primary comes from the classroom teacher, with only 10% from a specialist teacher. Over 40% of respondents reported that the classroom teacher did not have a languages qualification of any kind. A lack of, or discontinuity in, linguistic competence and confidence presents a particular challenge in ensuring that learners are supported to progress over the course of the seven years of primary. In their study Graham et al (2017) found that learner outcomes were affected by the teacher’s proficiency in the language, which had a greater impact on learner progress than the pedagogical approach adopted.
Policy implications
What implications for policy might be drawn from the Language Trends Scotland data? Firstly, the proportion of primary teachers without any language qualification and the absence of an upskilling fund suggests that attracting student teachers who already have a language qualification is key to learner progress.
The University of Stirling is forward thinking in its provision of a Modern languages specialism for its BSc (Hons) Education (Primary) students. For other ITE institutions, changes made in the 2024 GTCS Memorandum on recruitment offer the option to include a Level 5 language in admission requirements. Implementing this measure would ensure that teachers could draw on a basic level of language competence in their primary practice.
Secondly, consistent language delivery of a minimum of an hour a week using a scheme of work that supports progression would ensure that learners are able to make progress and so grow their sense of enjoyment and self-efficacy – both factors that underpin motivation and eventual subject choice.
Finally, the economic and social rewards on offer if language competence were to improve warrant an increase in the emphasis placed on languages. That might take the form both of more time at primary and of the full delivery of learner entitlement to the end of S3.
Reversing the message
Perceptions of value are also an issue for languages at secondary level. One of the striking features of the Language Trends Scotland report was that almost two-thirds of schools are running multi-level Languages classes, with one teacher delivering to learners who are working towards three or more qualifications. With less dedicated teaching provision on offer, learners inevitably receive the message that languages are less important and treat them accordingly.
Reversing this message could involve universities, whose languages degrees suffer when school learner pipelines dry up, in demonstrating the importance of languages, assigning them greater value and recognition through the admissions process.
The rise of STEM subjects, whose public value is well established, offers an example. A similar shift in public discourse around languages is needed to internationalise Scotland’s graduates and businesses to meet the growth objectives of our globalised century.
Dr Fiona Barclay is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Stirling, and Chair of the University Council for Languages Scotland (UCFLS).