Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Anna Bawden

Two in three state secondary schools in England teach just one foreign language

French language class
More than 85% of state secondary schools offer French at key stage 3, the survey found. Photograph: Alamy

Two-thirds of English state secondary schools teach only one foreign language, research shows, undermining the government’s efforts to shore up the numbers of pupils learning modern languages.

This year’s Language Trends report by the British Council surveyed state and private secondary schools in England about their linguistic provision. With growing evidence that state schools were cutting the number of languages taught, the 2023 report specifically asked for the first time if pupils learned more than one language.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.