Every year the national Language Trends Survey asks schools which languages are being taught, how they are being taught and what other activities support this, such as international links and language assistants. It is important that as many schools at primary and secondary level respond as possible, to capture the reality of provision, rather than decision makers being informed only by a small proportion of teachers’ views.
The outcomes of this survey helps to shape Government policy and there is a real need to increase the focus on languages and its importance for children and young people and for the economy. We encourage all schools in Newcastle to respond. We encourage all Newcastle schools to get involved and share your information. Please use the relevant links below to complete the Language Trends England 2023 survey:
- Primary School Teachers survey link
- Secondary School Teachers survey link
- Independent School Teachers survey link
Findings in 2022 Language Survey report
The survey is conducted by British Council and Queen’s University Belfast annually. Last year the Language Trends survey saw the biggest ever response rate, revealing language learning at schools in England was in slow recovery after Covid-19 pandemic. You can read the 2022 Language Trends full report here. Headline findings included:
- schools are unlikely to meet Government’s EBacc target for many pupils learning a language
- Spanish will take over French as the most popular language at GCSE by 2026 if current trends continue
- the amount of time devoted to languages in different primary schools across the country varies, with some pupils receiving less than 30 minutes per week
- there has been a significant decline in international activities at primary and state secondary schools, such as partnering with a school abroad, involvement in international projects and hosting a language assistant.
Newcastle – support for languages, intercultural awareness and international links
Newcastle innovates in supporting languages, intercultural and international connections and experiences for our children and young people. We encourage all Newcastle schools to complete the national survey.
- Newcastle City of Languages is an initiative led by International Newcastle, which has been supporting the teaching and learning of languages in the city for the last four years.
- We also host and co-ordinate the Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages, which is on now and offers free activities for schools and communities to celebrate diverse languages and cultures and our connections to the world.
- International Newcastle and the City Council are currently supporting Newcastle schools to apply to the Turing Scheme to support international visits – click here to find out more
- Click here to find out all the ways we support schools on languages, international links and intercultural experiences here.