'We're not teaching them to order baguettes' - languages enjoy a renaissance in schools
Posted on 18/04/2026 09:45:00
News Date: 18 April 2026
News Source: BBC
When Hugo signed up for a project to help him decide if he wanted to study French at GCSE, he had no idea it would lead him to learn Mandarin.
The Year 10 pupil is one of a growing number who are helping turn around years of decline in language uptake thanks to a more novel approach to learning, courtesy of the Cardiff University-led modern foreign languages (MFL) mentoring.
Project head Lucy Jenkins said it "takes the language learning out of language" by exposing pupils to ideas to make them think about the reasons for learning another language, rather than the traditional vocabulary and grammar.
Sport, performance and culture, body language and even gestures are all used in the course and, until a few years ago, no language was taught at all.
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