The British Council stated that during the British blockade, millions of children did not receive any language counselling.
Council’s Annual Survey of English Primary and Secondary Schools It was found that during the first national lockdown, more than half of elementary school students and 40% of middle school students did not study any language. During the January and February lockdown, 20% of students had no language education.
This will inevitably affect GCSE and A-level admissions. The report shows that if current trends continue, the government will not be able to achieve the goal of having three-quarters of students participate in modern language GCSE by 2022.
The government hopes that 75% of students will participate in modern language GCSE by 2022 and 90% by 2025 as part of it Bachelor of English. Ebacc, launched in 2010, is a more traditional set of subjects in GCSE, which includes compulsory language, designed to help prevent the decline in language learning. But according to a report released on Thursday, only 53% of 10th grade students in 2020 are learning the language GCSE.
Julie McCulloch, Policy Director School and College Leadership Association, Said: “This report shows that the pandemic and issues surrounding Brexit have further eroded the already low participation of students in foreign languages.
“Low language usage is undermining the Ebacc system, and the government’s goals are completely unrealistic,” she added. “Although 100% of the students chose the English, math and science parts, only half of the students chose the modern language part.”
Entries in modern languages continue to decline. The Guardian’s analysis of official data shows that in English schools, the number of language GCSE enrollment has fallen by 41% since 2003. This is the last year that learning modern foreign languages in grade 10 is mandatory.
The status of German is particularly unstable, with only 36% of English secondary schools teaching German. The number of temporary enrollment at GCSE in Germany in 2021 has fallen by 66% compared to 2003, while the number of French has fallen by 59%.In general, just 5.8% of GCSE enrollment in England in summer 2020 According to the Joint Qualifications Committee, it is a modern foreign language.
The number of A-levels continues to decrease: According to Ofqual data, This year’s modern foreign language test questions dropped by 17% Judging from the data for 2020.
The report also found that by the time students reach 9th grade, as many as 20% of all student groups in schools have not learned a language. “After 13 years of age, fewer and fewer students are receiving any language education,” said Mrs. Coussins, who is the co-chair of the committee. All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Language Issues“Even a basic level of foreign language skills can improve social mobility and employability. Without it, our young people are at a disadvantage in the global labor market.”
Although the GCSE in France and Germany Decreased severity since 2020After Ofqual ruled that the grading standards should be adjusted, there are still concerns about students being delayed in studying Modern foreign language Because it is more difficult to get high scores.
“On average, students’ grades in modern languages are one grade lower than other Ebacc subjects,” McCulloch said.
The situation is not completely bleak: nearly 110,000 students will take Spanish courses this year, almost double the number in 2003 and an increase of 20% since 2018.
Vicky Gough, a school consultant for the British Council, said: “As education begins to recover from the pandemic, it is vital that all students have priority in learning languages. How can the benefits of having language skills and some understanding of other cultures be emphasized? Not an exaggeration, especially when the UK is renegotiating its position on the world stage.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said: “The revised content of French, German and Spanish G. Review.
“Ebacc is still crucial in giving all children the same opportunity to succeed in core academic subjects. We have exceeded 75% of the target in four of the five subject groups.
