Vicky Gough takes a look at the results of the latest British Council Language Trends England survey and finds schools struggling, but hope for the future with the creation of the new national network of lead hub schools across England.
While conducting this year’s Language Trends England survey, one schoolteacher shared their struggle to recruit an experienced language teacher. In the end, they hired the only candidate who was interviewed.
Unfortunately, this has become a common issue nationwide. Sixty per cent of schools reported challenges in recruiting qualified language teachers this year, with state schools particularly affected - nearly a third described recruitment as a “major issue.”
This problem is cyclical and has been growing for years. Since 2004, when language GCSEs became non-mandatory in England, French entries, for example, have more than halved. Lower GCSE uptake has impacted A-level numbers, especially in German and French, which have dwindled over the past two decades causing universities to struggle to fill courses.
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