Language education in the United Kingdom

The teaching of modern languages in the United Kingdom occurs mainly from ages 7 to 16 in primary schools and secondary schools.

History

1960s

In the late 1960s there were government plans for language teaching in primary schools, but the plans were dropped, due to the obvious situation of insufficiently trained teachers.

Secondary modern schools had limited modern language teaching, being occasionally found in the top stream of such schools, but often there was none at all.

1970s

Until the 1960s foreign language education was mostly confined to grammar and independent schools. Following the introduction of comprehensive education in the 1960s the provision of language education at secondary level, mostly French, expanded and many primary schools introduced foreign languages as part of the 'Primary School Language Project' in the early 1970s. However, by the 1970s the status of French in primary schools was in question with the inflencial report 'Primary French in the Balance' ensuring that 11 was the age that most began studying French.

From 1970-75 French A-level entries dropped from 25,925 to 17,025 and German entries from 7,520 to 5,516. The move to comprehensive schools had not been seen to help language teaching to flourish, so a national survey of language teaching was conducted by five HM Inspectors of Schools in 83 comprehensive schools took place from 1975 to 1976, which resulted in the ungenerous DES report Modern Languages in Comprehensive Schools published on Thursday 17 March 1977. The report said that language teaching was often too 'mechanical' and inflexible, not nuanced.

The DES report said that not enough was being done to help brighter children flourish in languages some comprehensive schools, and that mixed ability language classes were not a resounding success. It said 'there was grave cause for concern' about bright children trying to learn languages at comprehensive schools. Teaching in sixth forms was 'no less disquieting'. Comprehensive schools had introduced language teaching, nominally for all, at some comprehensive schools, although most comprehensive schools only offered such language teaching to the top 60-80%, at most. Only a minority at such schools continued languages after 14. Due to more language teachers being required, it became more difficult for comprehensive schools to offer two languages for those taking languages after 14. Under the former grammar school system, taking two languages up to 16 was never any profound difficulty; the grammar schools had enough teachers, and enough people capable of learning two languages. Comprehensive schools often had neither. The 1977 report also questioned why only people who took French A-level were able to continue French to 18, when there were many other people at 16 who had some capability in languages? Other European countries did not do this. Many former grammar school teachers found language teaching across wide abilities in comprehensive schools difficult. It found, over the 83 secondary schools, that there was one pass in a language O-level, or CSE grade 1, at 16, for every ten children at 16.

In the 1977 report, it found that many heads of language departments 'showed little awareness of the responsibilities they bore, beyond the walls of their own classrooms', leading some less-experienced teachers to flounder on their own, when such teachers needed to be assisted.

The BOTB held a conference on 19 May 1978 at the Royal Society of Arts entitled 'Does Britain need linguists?', attended by Labour MP Les Huckfield.

In a British Overseas Trade Board (BOTB) report, 'Foreign Languages for Overseas Trade', published on Wednesday 23 May 1979, with a foreword by the Duke of Kent, it found that secondary school language abilities were not appropriate for the world of work. In his foreword, the Duke made several accusations, claiming that British companies had not tried with other languages, due to relying on Commonwealth connections, and that it was expensive to give language training to managers. The Duke claimed that secondary schools were obsessed far too much with syntax and grammar, and that secondary schools should have acquired the spoken diction beforehand. The BOTB report was later discussed at a conference for headteachers, hosted by the University of Surrey's Department of Linguistic and International Studies, on 8 December 1979.

1980s

In 1983, the most French A-levels were taken: 27,103. The number fell but increased again by the early 1990s.

Universities were beginning to offer European business courses, to allow a year out in Europe, often at polytechnics, such as Middlesex Polytechnic. The University of Kent was a leading university with such courses, and cooperation with European universities. It largely coordinated all of the UK's part in the Erasmus Programme.

Many more secondary schools were offering languages up to 14, but not many comprehensive schools had obligatory language teaching after that. Most grammar schools would require a language to be followed up to 16. Previous to the 1970s, languages were largely only taught in grammar schools after the age of 14, and to take two languages up to 16. Most people believed that comprehensive schools could not achieve this, given the large range of abilities; only a few people, at most, believed it could be taught up to 16 in comprehensive schools. Some chief education officers believed that language teaching should be compulsory up to 16, for the able children only.

As part of the National Curriculum, a Modern Languages working group was established in 1989.

The National Curriculum MFL Working Group (MFLWG) was chaired by Sir Martin Harris. The committee, possibly hardheadedly, believed that most children could study modern languages up to the age of 16, despite many other linguists, previously, not coming to that same radical, or optimistic, conclusion.

The Council of Europe, from 1982-87, had been looking at language teaching across Europe, which influenced the findings of the committee of Sir Martin Harris. A national educational conference, to discuss any findings, was held in 1989.

As a result all children at Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 were required to study a modern foreign language. However, concerns were expressed as to whether the time devoted to learning modern languages was sufficient for acquisition to take place and the extent to which French had become the dominant language.

1990s

On 16 May 1990, the BBC launched a £3m series of educational programmes to prepare for the Single Market in 1992, such as a series of ten programmes entitled You and 92.

The LINGUA programme was set up by the EC from 1990 to 1994, which changed to become the Socrates programme in 1994.

The 1990 House of Lords report 'European Schools and Language Learning in UK Schools' found that around 18,000 took French A-level, which had dropped by 10% in eight years.

The 'Nuffield Languages Inquiry' was set up in 1998 by Sir John Boyd (diplomat), with Alwena Lamping.

2000s

The authoritative report Language Trends has been published annually since 2002 by the British Council.

In September 2000, modular AS levels were introduced, under Curriculum 2000. These were to be taken in year 12, which counted 50% towards the final A-level result: it spread the risk of the exam result over two years, but any number of resit exams were possible.

The European Year of Languages began in January 2001, and the Labour government had meetings with main European ambassadors about low participation in language education across the UK: Hans-Friedrich von Ploetz, Santiago de Mora-Figueroa y Williams and Daniel Bernard.

Lid King, the former director of the CILT from 1992, after John Trim and Alan Moy, became the new National Director for Languages in 2003, until 2012. He implemented the 2002 National Language Strategy.

In 2004 the Labour government dropped the requirement of the 1988 National Curriculum to take a language GCSE at 16. The Labour Party had recognised, after the age of 14, the adversity of many comprehensive schools trying to teach foreign languages; the subject could be too difficult for those who would not enter the sixth form. Language GCSEs were difficult to pass; dropping the requirement would also enable less-difficult GCSEs to be taken instead, giving an artificial boost to GCSE league tables. The NUT did not support the policy of dropping the requirement.

From 1996 French A-level entries had halved, to 14,650 in 2006, and there were 6,204 German A-level entries. By 2007, 51% at 16 took a language GCSE: in 2000 it was 80%.

2010s

Since 2014 the National Curriculum has required that pupils in Key Stage 2 must study an ancient or modern foreign language. Pupils in Key Stage 3 must study a modern foreign language.

From September 2016, in England, AS levels no longer counted towards the A-level; many took AS level language courses up to year 12 only; the new A-levels are called linear A-levels.

By 2017, there were 9,672 entries for French A-level, and 3,842 for German. But the regulator Ofqual found that one in five entrants for German A-level were native speakers, acquiring half of all A* grades, and a quarter of all A grades; possibly abusing or gaming the system.

In 2017, a survey by the CBI found that employers most need people with skills and fluency in French, German and Spanish.

In 2018, new modern language GCSEs were introduced in England and Wales. In January 2019, the National Centre for Excellence for Language was established at the University of York, to coordinate modern language education in England, with nine school hubs across England; of the nine schools, two are grammar schools and two are faith schools.

From 2010 to 2018, French GCSE entries dropped by 29% and German GCSE entries dropped by 37%. But Spanish GCSE entries from 2010 to 2018 rose considerably.

From 2011 to 2018, French A-level entries have dropped from around 12,000 to just under 8,000. According to Joint Council for Qualifications, language GCSE entries have halved since 2005. There was a slight increase in French GCSE entries in 2018 and 2019; entries for Spanish are on course to overtake entries for French by 2030.

2020s

Ancient languages are being reintroduced into more English secondary schools, such as Latin. A £4m Department for Education scheme will initially be rolled out across 40 schools as part of a four-year pilot programme for 11- to 16-year-olds starting in September 2022. As well as language teaching, the Latin Excellence Programme will also include visits to Roman heritage sites to provide pupils with a greater understanding of classics and the ancient world. The initiative aims to boost GCSE Latin entries and will be modelled on the success of the Mandarin Excellence Programme, launched in 2016 in response to the growing importance of Mandarin as a global language. The programme now involves 75 schools across the country with more than 6,000 pupils learning Mandarin towards fluency.

Nations

England

Language education in England up to the age of 19 is provided in the National Curriculum by the Department for Education, which was established in 2010.

The National Curriculum for languages aims to ensure that all pupils:

• understand and respond to spoken and written language from a variety of authentic sources
• speak with increasing confidence, fluency and spontaneity, finding ways of communicating what they want to say, including through discussion and asking questions, and continually improving the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation
• can write at varying length, for different purposes and audiences, using the variety of grammatical structures that they have learnt
• discover and develop an appreciation of a range of writing in the language studied.

Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world. The teaching should enable pupils to express their ideas and thoughts in another language and to understand and respond to its speakers, both in speech and in writing. It should also provide opportunities for them to communicate for practical purposes, learn new ways of thinking and read great literature in the original language. Language teaching should provide the foundation for learning further languages, equipping pupils to study and work in other countries.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has an exclusively-selective education system; modern languages are broadly well-taught at selective schools.

Primary level

Around 50% of primary teachers either have a degree or A-level in a language. About 70% of primary schools deliver languages in-house, often with a HLTA, a type of teaching assistant who is not QTS standard. Some primary schools work with local secondary schools or sixth form colleges for language training for primary teachers. Around 10% of primary schools have overseas visits, and about 10% participate in eTwinning or the Comenius programme (itself part of the Socrates programme) whereby the scheme involves teacher exchanges abroad. Another project is MEITS (Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies).

England

At Key Stage 2 it is compulsory to for primary schools to study ancient and modern languages. French is offered at around 75% of primary schools, with Spanish at about 25% and German at about 5%, with about 45 minutes per week of language learning per school.

Secondary level

England

At Key Stage 3 it is compulsory for secondary schools to study modern languages.

GCSE modern foreign languages and GCSE ancient languages are studied at Key Stage 4. Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Bengali, Mandarin, Greek, Gujarati, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Punjabi, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu are studied.

The English Baccalaureate was introduced in 2011, which has modern and ancient language requirements. Languages at GCSE are much more popular at single sex secondary schools than for co-educational state secondary schools; many grammar schools are also single sex schools. Many language teachers are female; in some secondary schools all language teachers are female, supplying limited role models for some teenage males.

Sixth-form level

Modern and classical languages are taught at A-level, with French being most popular (around 8,000) followed by German (around 3,000). It is perceived that top grades are difficult to get in language A-levels.

England

Modular AS levels had been introduced to form 50% of the total A-level result from 2000, but this was stopped from 2016.

University level

Teaching of modern languages at university is well-represented by universities such as those in the Russell Group, but in other universities, such teaching is not represented.

Broadcasting

Educational series have included:

Television

• Chez les Dupré, from 1960–62, 50 episodes on Associated-Rediffusion
• Parliamo Italiano! BBC TV 5 October 1963 on Saturdays at 12.30pm and Thursdays at 11pm, 30-part series for beginners, presented by Ariella Reggio, with Marla Landi and Sergio Gazzarrini, written by Toni Cerutti, directed by Maddalena Fagandini, produced by Peter Montagnon; also broadcast in 1963 in Ireland by RTÉ One, and repeated in October 1966 on BBC1 on Mondays at 11pm and BBC2 on Thursdays at 7.30pm
• Komm Mit!, BBC1 3 October 1964 on Saturdays at 12.30pm, and Thursdays at 11pm, 30-part series for beginners with Heidi Treutler and Dieter Geißler, introduced by Sabine Michael and Paul Hansard, featured the actor Jeremy Kemp, directed by Maddalena Fagandini, produced by Colin Nears; repeated in October 1967
• Bonjour Françoise, BBC1 3 October 1965 on Sundays at 9.30am and Tuesdays at 11pm, 30-part series for beginners, with Malou Pantera as Françoise, André Maranne, and François Brincourt as Jean-Paul, and featured Lucinda Curtis, written by Michel Faure, directed by Maddalena Fagandini, produced by Ronald Smedley; repeated in October 1967 on Saturday mornings on BBC1 and Tuesday evenings on BBC2
• La Chasse au Trésor, BBC1 29 April 1968 on Mondays at 2.30pm and Fridays at 9.30am, with Sylvia Declercq, Philippe Paulino, André Maranne, Yvonne Dany, and Claude Legros, featuring Xavier Renoult, Nicole Desailly, François Marthouret, Jean Tolzac, and Max Doria, 8-part series, filmed in France, for children aged ten, who had studied French for two years, written by Michel Faure, produced by Ronald Smedley; repeated in April 1969 and April 1970
• Si Dice Cosi, BBC1 5 January 1969 Sundays at 10am and Saturdays at 10am, 26-part Italian series for beginners, with Bianca Maria Corbella, Yole Marinelli, Luigi Basagaluppi, and Alberto Colzi; repeated in October 1970
• Repondez S'il Vous Plait, BBC1 5 October 1969 on Sundays at 9.30am, with Max Bellancourt, assisted by Jacques Faber, Monique Messine, Paulette Preney and Jan Rosol
• Wie bitte?, BBC1 5 October 1969 Sundays at 10am, and Saturdays at 10.30am, beginners German course, with Dorothea Neukirchen, and Werner Umberg, Gerard Heinz, Carl Jaffe, Wolf Frees, Hannah Norbert, Martina Mayne, Ernst Walder, George Mikell, Leslie Banks, Tom Kempinski, Irene Prador, and Hugo Panczak, written by Milo Sperber; repeated in October 1971
• Avventura: Italian, BBC1 1 October 1972 at 10am, 25-part series for beginners, with Margherita Guzzinati, Yole Marinelli (wife of Brian Weske), Gigi Gatti, Leonardo Pieroni, Maurizio Gueli, and Serena Spaziani
• Tout Compris, BBC1 January 1973, for ages 12–14, designed by Edward Neather, produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• Quatre Coins de la France, BBC1 Schools 23 April 1974 on Tuesdays at 11.30am and Mondays at 2.30pm, with Katya Ellis, Gilles Dattas, and Paulette Preney, produced by Peggie Broadhead
• Kontakte, BBC1 6 October 1974 on Sundays at 10am and on Wednesdays at 12pm, and a Radio 3 series, with Liane Rudolph, Petra Schroeder, Jurgen Andersen, and Lutz Liebelt, produced by Maddalena Fagandini; Maddalena also presented Deutsch direkt! in 1985
• Ensemble, BBC1 1 October 1975, 24 part French for beginners, with Elma Soiron, Elisabeth Macocco, André Maranne (possibly the most well-known French actor on British television, who appeared as Sergeant François Chevalier in six Pink Panther films), Henri Bon, Richard Guedj, Tania Sourseva, Jean Nehr, Yves Favier, Paulette Frantz and her husband Alain Janey, Jean Péméja, Annick Roux, Jacques Disses, Claude d'Yd, Alain Mergnat, Serge Berry, and Pierre Saintons, co-written by Antoine Tudal, directed by Terry Doyle, produced by Tony Roberts; it had a correspondence course provided by the National Extension College in Cambridge, and other material from the Language Centre at Brighton Polytechnic
• Treffpunkt: Deutschland, BBC1 April 1977, about German life, with Georgina Green and the actor Wolf Kahler (four years later he appeared as a main character in Raiders of the Lost Ark), produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• Conversazioni, BBC2 12 April 1977 on 7pm and on BBC1 on Sundays at 10pm, 10-part second stage Italian, presented by Denis Mack Smith; repeated in January 1979 and April 1980
• Télé-Journal, BBC1 10 January 1978 on Tuesdays at 9am, a replay, via Eurovision, of a news bulletin, from the previous day, of Télévision Française 1 (TF1) or Antenne Deux (France 2 since 1992), with Chantal Cuer, later with Marianne Lawrence, produced by Terry Doyle
• Appuntamento in Italia, BBC1 April 1978, with Giancarlo Ciccone, Gigi Gatti, produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• ¡Digame!, BBC1 4 October 1978, Spanish (with Radio 4), presented by Isabel Soto, Miguel Peñaranda, and Carlos Riera, produced by Maddalena Fagandini
• Rendez-vous: France, BBC1 2 May 1979 on Wednesdays at 11.30am, presented by Yves Aubert and Carolle Rousseau, produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• Realidades de España, BBC1 2 May 1979 schools, on Wednesdays at 12pm, five films about Spain, in Spanish, including about the poet Antonio Machado, and the Moors and Christians of Alcoy festival, who also celebrate St George; shown until June 1985
• Heute Direkt, BBC1 May 1979, with Corinna Schnabel, it showed untranslated news programmes, via Eurovision, from German-speaking countries, including the GDR; produced by Barbara Derkow, assisted by Werner Kastor
• Dès le début, BBC1 September 1979 schools, presented by Yves Aubert and Carolle Rousseau, produced by John Prescott-Thomas; last shown in February 1988
• Russian Language and People, BBC2 14 January 1980, a 20-part documentary series presented by Tanya and George Feifer, Edward Ochagavia and the Russian TV presenter Tatyana Vedeneyeva; it also featured Lyubov Sokolova and Zoya Isaeva, produced by Terry Doyle; repeated in October 1982, September 1984, and October 1988
• Descubra: España, BBC1 Schools May 1981, with Isabel Soto and Carlos Riera, produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• Dicho y Hecho, BBC1 Schools November 1981, simple conversational Spanish, with Isabel Soto and Carlos Riera, produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• Alles klar, BBC1 Schools May 1982, simple conversational German, with Lutz Liebelt and Gina Kalla, produced by Susan Paton; shown until June 1986
• Buongiorno Italia!, BBC1 10 October 1982 on Sundays at 11am and on BBC2 on Saturdays at 6pm, introduction to Italian, 20-part series for beginners, presented by Lilly Lambert, produced by Maddalena Fagandini; repeated on BBC2 in September 1983, November 1984, and September 1985, and on BBC1 in October 1986
• Greek - Language and People, BBC2 15 October 1983, on Saturdays at 6pm, ten-part series , with Katia Dandoulaki and Chris Serle, produced by Terry Doyle; repeated on Sundays at 11am on BBC1 in January 1984
• Unter Uns: Deutsche Dialoge, BBC2 Schools March 1984 at 9am, directed by Susan Paton, produced by John Prescott-Thomas
• Une année chez les Francais, BBC2 25 September 1984, A-level French, produced by Caroline Godley
• A Vous La France, BBC1 7 October 1984 on Sundays at 11am and Saturdays at 6pm on BBC, a fifteen-part series for beginners, with Carolle Rousseau, Patrick Simpson-Jones, Yves Aubert and Phyllis Roome on Radio 4, and Pierrick Picot and Jack Starr, directed by Mary Sprent; repeated in October 1987, September 1990 and September 1992
• Deutsch direkt! BBC1 24 September 1985 on BBC2 at 12.30pm on Tuesdays, then on Radio 5 in the early 1990s, began with Hanni Vanhaiden, a 20-part series, helped by John Trim (linguist), and Katrin Kohl; repeated in September 1988
• France-Francais, BBC2 4 March 1987 on Wednesdays at 1pm
• España Viva, BBC1 1 November 1987 on Sunday mornings and on BBC2 on Saturday teatime, fifteen programmes, presented by actress Yolanda Vázquez; later in 1988 she presented Telejournal with Carlos Riera on BBC2 on Tuesdays at 7.30pm; repeated in September 1990, January 1991, September 1991, and September 1992
• Quinze Minutes, BBC2 9 January 1989 on Mondays at 12pm and on Wednesdays at 10am, for children aged 11, presented by Nicholas Mead, produced by Caroline Godley; repeated September 1989, January 1991, September 1992, January 1993, September 1993, January 1995, and September 1995, and Quinze Minutes Plus from January 1997
• Diez Temas, BBC2 10 January 1989 on Tuesdays at 10am, produced by Susan Paton; repeated January 1990, February 1991, September 1991, January 1992, September 1992, January 1993, January 1994 and August 1996
• When in Italy, BBC2 6 April 1989 on Thursdays at 7.30pm, five-part series, with associated radio series, with Italian actress Mirella d'Angelo, produced by David Cordingley
• Lernexpress, BBC2 16 January 1990 on Tuesday mornings, part of Daytime on Two (the former BBC Schools from 1983 to 2010), two-year GCSE German course, with Sonja Zimmer (Rebecca Immanuel), produced by Susan Paton; repeated in September 1990, and September 1991
• Italianissimo, BBC1 1 November 1992 on Sundays at 11am, ten-part series presented by Anna Mazzotti
• Jeunes Francophones BBC2 10 January 1994 on Mondays at 12pm
• The French Experience, BBC1 2 October 1994, on Sundays at 10.30am, with Radio 4 series
• Spanish Globo, BBC2 18 September 1995 on Mondays at 1.30pm, Spanish for beginners ages 11-12
• Sueños World Spanish, BBC1 1 October 1995 on Sundays at 10.30am, 20-part series for beginners, with a series on Radio 4, presented by Colombian actor Ricardo Vélez and actress Perpe Caja
• Get By in Italian, BBC2 15 July 1996
• Deutsch Plus, BBC1 29 September 1996 at 11am on Sundays, a twenty-part series, with Radio 4 series
• Hallo aus Berlin, BBC2 Schools 19 September 1996 on Thursdays at 12pm, for ages 11-13
• Voces Espanolas, BBC2 Schools 14 January 1998 on Wednesdays at 9.30pm for ages 14-16
• Make German Your Business, parts 1 and 2, BBC2 17 March 1999; last shown in October 2007
• Get By in Portuguese, BBC2 23 June 1999 on Wednesdays at 4am
• Make Spanish Your Business, BBC2 29 November 1999; last shown in February 2008

Radio

• Starting Spanish, Network Three 30 September 1957 on Mondays at 7.30pm, 20-part series with Roger Delgado (later The Master on Doctor Who), Angel Luna, Basil Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, and Elena Morton; produced by Raymond Escoffey; repeated in April 1959
• Starting German, Network Three 24 February 1958 on Mondays at 7pm, with Preston Lockwood as David, Janette Richer as Susan, Martin Miller as Hans, Ferdy Mayne (later appeared as a main German officer in the 1968 Where Eagles Dare), Paul Hansard, Michael Rittermann, Frederick Schrecker, songs by Walther Gruner
• Intermediate German, Home Service 15 January 1959 on Thursdays at 11.30am, from September 1963 at 10.30am on Fridays, from September 1966 on Mondays, from September 1968 on Tuesdays until March 1973, written by Hilde-Maria Kraus, and Milo Sperber
• Russian for Beginners, Network Three 2 November 1959 on Mondays at 7pm, and Sundays at 2pm, 40-part series, with Victor Gregoriy, and Lubow Volossevich, written by Ronald Hingley, produced by Raymond Escoffey; repeated in October 1960
• Italian for Beginners, Network Three 3 October 1960 on Mondays at 7pm, and Fridays at 6.30pm, 40-part series, presented by Luisa Rapaccini, with Ariella Reggio and Andrea Tacchi, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated in October 1961
• Keep Up Your Italian, Network Three 9 October 1961 on Mondays at 7pm, and Fridays at 6.30pm, 20-part second-stage series, presented by Giuseppe Manighetti, with Ariella Reggio and Andrea Tacchi, produced by Elsie Ferguson
• Keep Up Your French, Network Three 1 March 1962 on Thursdays at 6.30pm, 20-part second stage series, presented by Paul Couster, written by Charlotte Crozet, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated in September 1963
• German for Beginners, Network Three 5 March 1962 on Mondays at 7pm, and Fridays at 6.30pm, with Sydney Salamé, Sabine Michael, Hannah Norbert, René Halkett, Gerda Koeppler, Renee Goddard, produced by Edith Baer; repeated in September 1963
• Starting Russian, Network Three 18 November 1962 on Sundays at 3.30pm and Tuesdays at 6.30pm, 40-part series, presented by Dennis Ward (1 February 1924 - 5 April 2008), Professor of Russian at the University of Edinburgh, with Antony Stokes, Victor Gregoriy, and Emilia Vosnesenskaya (1928-2015), Korney Chukovsky, Sir Dimitri Obolensky, written by Kyra Ericsson, produced by Ariadne Nicolaeff
• Use Your Italian, Network Three 10 January 1963 on Thursdays at 7pm, 20-part series, presented by Ariella Reggio, written by Pietro Giorgetti, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated October 1963
• Spanish for Beginners, Network Three 30 September 1963 on Mondays at 7pm and Fridays at 6.30pm, 40-part series, presented by Jacinta Castillejo, with Amelia Diaz, Pablo Soto, Antonio López and Fernando Agós, written by Anthony Watson, produced by Edith Baer and Henry Bentinck; repeated in October 1964 on the Home Service
• Starting French, Network Three 28 September 1964 on Mondays at 6.30pm and Fridays at 7pm, 40-part series, with Katia Ellis, assisted by Paul Couster, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated in October 1965 and on the Home Service
• Talking Italian, Network Three 29 September 1964 on Tuesdays at 6.30pm, and on the Home Service on Saturdays at 10.30am, 20-part second stage, with Pietro Giorgetti and Ariella Reggio, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated in October 1965
• Introduction to Russian, Network Three 7 October 1964 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, and on the Home Service on Saturdays at 11am, 20-part series, with Dennis Ward and Konstantin Irinsky, produced by Tony Cash; repeated in March 1965
• Allons-y!, Home Service 28 September 1965 on Tuesdays at 10.30am, 32-part second-year French, written by Emile Harven; repeated in September 1966, September 1967, September 1968, and September 1969
• Toutes Directions, Network Three 28 February 1966 on Mondays at 6.30pm, and Thursdays at 7pm, 20-part second-stage series, with Katia Ellis and Emile Harven, written by Odile Castro, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated in December 1966
• First Year Russian, Network Three 3 October 1966 on Fridays at 7pm, a 20-part beginner's class, in conjunction with the University of Essex, for evening classes, written by Terry Culhane, of the University of Essex, with Paddy O’Toole and Peter Mirsky, with Alexei Jawdokimov, Victor Gregoriy and Ina De La Haye, produced by Dennis Simmons, the series book was published on 1 January 1967; repeated on Radio 3 in October 1967
• Introduction to Chinese, Network Three 4 October 1966 on Tuesdays at 6.30pm, and on the Home Service on Saturdays at 10.30am, 10-part series, it was the first time that the BBC had taught Chinese, and it was an experiment, with Lucia Liu and Terry Chang, written by David Pollard, produced by Elsie Ferguson; repeated in May 1967
• À L'Écoute, Home Service 29 September 1967 on Fridays at 9.30am, 20-part series for primary school, third year of French, written by Raymond Escoffey and Paule-Aline Dent; repeated on Radio 4 in September 1968
• Starting Spanish, Radio 3 4 October 1967 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, and on Radio 4 on Saturdays at 10.30am, as part of 'Study Session', 40-part series, presented by Jacinta Castillejo (wife of Rafael Martínez Nadal and daughter of José Castillejo and Irene Claremont de Castillejo) with Pablo Soto, Fernando Agós, Antonio López, Pilar de Rubio, Cristina Roura, Isabel de Castro, written by Brian Dutton and Ángel García de Paredes, it had a 192-page book, produced by George Walton Scott; repeated on Radio 3 in October 1970, as part of Study on 3
• Speaking Chinese Radio 3 4 October 1967 on Wednesdays at 7pm, and on Radio 4 on Saturdays at 11.30am, a 15-part second-stage course, with Lucia Liu and Terry Chang, written by David Pollard, produced by Elsie Ferguson and Elizabeth Gusterson; repeated on Radio 4 in May 1968
• Second Year Russian Radio 4 12 October 1968 on Saturdays at 10.30am, 20-part series, with Maria Sabussky, Victor Gregoriy, Marina Ryan, Tanya Kelim, Slaswek Wolkowinski, Vladimir Czugunow, written by Paddy O’Toole, in conjunction with the University of Essex, produced by Dennis Simmons; repeated in October 1969
• Incontri in Italia, Radio 4 12 October 1968 on Saturdays at 11.30am, 15-part second-stage Italian, with Giovanni Carsaniga and Anna Veneziana, produced by Elsie Ferguson and Ann Caldwell; repeated in June 1971, September 1971, and October 1972 on Radio 3
• Un Paso Mas, Radio 4 29 March 1969 on Saturdays at 10.30am, as part of 'Study on 4', 20-part second-stage Spanish, with Jacinta Castillejo, Pablo Soto, Antonio López, Fernando Agós, César Milego, Isabel de Castro and Cristina Roura, written by Brian Dutton and Ángel García de Paredes; repeated in January 1972
• Amici, buona sera!, Radio 3 6 October 1969 on Mondays at 7pm, and Fridays at 6.30pm, 30-part Italian for beginners, with Hugh Shankland and Ernesto Mussi, assisted by Silvia Gavuzzo and Aldo Bevacqua; repeated in October 1971
• Reisebüro Atlas, Radio 3 7 January 1970 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, produced by Edith Baer
• Wiedersehen in Ansburg, Radio 4 24 January 1970 on Saturdays at 11am, and on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, 20-part second-stage series, with Michael Mellinger and Maria Warburg, the mother of comedian and radio host Bob Mills, written by Alexandra Marchl-von-Herwarth, produced by Edith Baer; repeated on Radio 3 in October 1971 and October 1973
• Deutsch für die Oberstufe, Radio 4 1 October 1970 on Thursdays at 10.30am, with Raymond Escoffey
• Voix de France, Radio 4 2 October 1970 on Fridays at 10.30am, French for the sixth form, a new series in September 1971, and September 1972
• Rendez-vous à Chaviray, Radio 3 12 October 1970 on Mondays at 6.30pm, as part of 'Study on 3', and on Sundays at 10.30am, as part of 'Study on 4', a 25-part second-stage course, about a fictional town called Chaviray, with Louis Bloncourt, Georges Lambert, André Maranne, Jean Lagrave, John Serrat, Paulette Preney, Violetta Farjeon, Lila Valmere, written by John Ross and Madeleine le Cunff of the University of Essex, produced by Alan Wilding; repeated in October 1973
• Horizons de France, Radio 4 27 January 1971 on Wednesdays at 10.30am, for the fifth form
• A Language in Your Briefcase, Radio 3 22 February 1971 on Mondays at 7pm, 20-part series on selling to other countries, introduced by Henry Deschampsneufs, chairman of the Institute of Export,
• - French with Katia Lutz, André Marianne, and Pierre Valmer, written by Madeleine le Cunff
• - German with Walter Hertner, Michael Wolf, Michael Mellinger
• - Italian with Marisa Dillon-Weston, written by Giovanni Carsaniga
• - Spanish with Joan Shenton, Fernando Agos and Pablo Soto, written by Ángel García de Paredes
• - Portuguese with Manuela D'Oliveira and Alberto de Lacerda, written by Jorge Ribeiro, produced by Alan Wilding, Ann Caldwell, Edith Baer
• Halb gewonnen!, Radio 4 20 September 1971 on Mondays at 10.30am, 20-part O-level German course, the programme was sometimes recorded at WDR-Studio Münster in North Rhine-Westphalia, written by Stephen Kanocz; repeated in September 1972
• Vient de paraître, Radio 3 4 October 1971 on Mondays at 6.30pm, 20-part second-stage French, with Gerard Plaux, Jacques Bonnet, written by Richard Martineau, Anne-Marie Girolami and Paul Couster, produced by Ann Caldwell
• Introduction to Arabic, Radio 3 27 March 1972 on Mondays at 6.30pm and on Radio 4 on Saturdays at 10.30am as 'Study on 4', 15-part series, with Baha Essaid and Nadia Tawfiq, produced by Elsie Ferguson and Geoffrey Braithwaite; repeated in March 1973 on Radio 3 and Radio 4, and in June 1977
• Tal Como Es, Radio 4 1 October 1972 on Sundays at 3pm, and Mondays on Radio 3 at 6.30pm, 20-part second-stage Spanish, with Pablo Soto, Eloisa Diez, featuring José Miguel Ortega Bariego, Núria Espert; repeated in October 1974 and May 1978 on Radio 3
• Ochen' Priyatno, Radio 3 3 October 1973 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, 20-part beginner's course in Russian, with Tanya Feifer, Tanya Kelim, Sasha Dorogoi, and Boris Zajic; written by Michael Frewin and Albina Braithwaite, produced by David Doughan; repeated in May 1978
• Punti di vista, Radio 3 27 March 1974 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, 20-part second-stage Italian, presented by Aldo Bevacqua, written by Maria Laura Franciosi, produced by Ann Goddard
• Euromagazine, Radio 3 4 July 1974 on Thursdays at 6.30pm, part of 'Study on 3', in French, German, Spanish and Italian, with Jean-Louis Barrault, Michael Mellinger, Talia Pareja, Isabel Soto, Miguel Peñaranda, and Nicole Church; another series in May 1975, April 1976, and on Radio 4 in June 1984, as part of 'Study on 4', a 12-part series in April 1985, an 8-part series from April 1987, and a series in May 1988, produced by David Doughan
• Svidaniye v Moskyve, Radio 3 2 October 1974 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, 20-part second-stage Russian, with Tanya Feifer, Sasha Dorogoi, Eugene Isotow, Maria Gordeeva, Victor Nossoff, Tolya Kurdynovsky, written by Michael Frewin and Albina Braithwaite, produced by David Doughan
• Kontakte, Radio 3 9 October 1974 on Wednesdays at 7pm, with Lutz Liebelt, written by Edith Baer, produced by Iris Sprankling, with associated TV series
• Wegweiser, Radio 3 1 October 1975 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, a follow-on 20-part series for advanced German, after Kontakte, with Jürgen Andersen and Gabi Englet, written by Anne Cuff, produced by Rodney Mantle
• Ensemble, Radio 3 1 October 1975 on Wednesdays at 7pm, 24-part French, companion radio series to the TV series, with Yves Loisel, written by John Ross, produced by Alan Wilding
• Starting Chinese, Radio 3 24 March 1976 on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, 25-part series for beginners, with Lucia Liu and Terry Chang, written by David Pollard, produced by Elsie Ferguson, executive producer Edith Baer
• Sur le vif, Radio 3 6 October 1976 on Wednesdays at 7pm, 20-part second-stage after Ensemble, with Anne-Marie Pelletier, written by Anne Gruneberg, produced by Susan Paton
• Get by in Spanish, Radio 3 24 March 1977, presented by María Antonia Marcos and Eduardo Delgado, written by Jane Freeland, who wrote the series book with Isabel del Rio (a BBC World Service presenter) ISBN 0563162570, published 1 August 1978; repeated in June 1977, March 1978, August 1978 and on Radio 4 in February 1985 and May 1986
• Get by in German, Radio 3 28 March 1977, with Jürgen Andersen and Gabi Englet, written by Edith Baer; repeated on Radio 4 in April 1986
• Allez France!, Radio 3 5 October 1977 on Wednesdays at 7pm, presented by Anne-Marie Pelletier, written by John Ross, produced by Alan Wilding
• Get by in French, Radio 3 28 March 1978 on Tuesdays at 6.30pm and Thursdays at 7pm, 5-part series presented by Bénédicte Paviot and Daniel André Pageon, written by Celia Weber, who wrote the series book with Pierrick Picot, produced by Christopher Stone, executive producer Edith Baer (head of further education for BBC Radio); repeated in September 1978, and on Radio 4 in July 1984 and February 1985
• ¡Digame!, Radio 4 5 October 1980 on Sundays at 5pm, 20-part Spanish, written by Bob Winterflood and José Escribano, published 1 September 1978 ISBN 0563162260, produced by Mick Webb; repeated in October 1985
• Get By In Greek, Radio 4 11 April 1983 at 11pm all-week, with Christina Coucounara and Yorgos Yannoulopoulos, written by David Hardy, produced by Christopher Stone; repeated in February 1985, April 1988 and April 1989
• Get By in Italian, Radio 4 9 September 1984 on Sundays at 4.30pm, 5-part beginners, presented by Annamaria Grecas and Giancarlo Ciccone, written by Bob Powell, produced by Mick Webb; repeated in July 1986 and July 1988
• Por Aqui, Radio 4 30 September 1984, on Sundays at 5.30pm, and Fridays at 11.30pm, 20-part second-stage Spanish, from interviews in Santiago de Compostela, broadcast under the 'Study on 4' name, presented by Isabel Soto and Miguel Peñaranda, written by Bob Winterflood; repeated in October 1986
• A vous la France! (with TV series), Radio 4 7 October 1984 on Sundays at 5pm and Wednesdays at 11pm, part of the 'Study on 4', 15-part beginners series, with Yves Aubert, written and produced by Alan Wilding
• Get By in Portuguese, Radio 4 17 April 1985 on Wednesdays at 11pm, 5-part beginners, presented by Suzette Macedo and Carlos Alves, written by Penny Newman, produced by Christopher StoneR; repeated in June 1986, March 1987, and June 1988
• Get By in Arabic, Radio 4 1 September 1985, on Sundays at 4.30pm, a 6-part series, set in Cairo, designed for holiday-makers, presented by Egyptian novelist Ahdaf Soueif and the actor Alix Refaie, written by Hilary Wise, of Queen Mary College, and Salah El-Ghobashy, who both wrote the BBC book, published 1 September 1985 ISBN 0563211679, produced by Alan Wilding; repeated in February 1986, June 1987, September 1988, and September 1989
• France Extra!, Radio 4 29 September 1985, on Sundays at 5pm, presented by Juliette Mole and Jean-Michel Duffrene (recently a presenter with French Radio London), with Chantal Cuer, written by Duncan Shiels and Elspeth Broady, produced by Nicole Church (who attended the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle, in London)
• Buongiorno Italia!, Radio 4 12 October 1986, 20-part series for beginners, with a repeat of the TV series on BBC1, with Denise de Rome, produced by Alan Wilding
• Franc-parler, Radio 4 3 January 1987 on Saturdays at 4.30pm, 10-part series presented by Corinne Baudelot and Grégoire Carel, repeated in June 1987 and October 1989
• Deutsch Express!, Radio 4 10 January 1987 on Saturdays and Sundays at 5pm, 15-part second-stage German, after Deutsch Direkt!, presented by Irmgard Meyer, actor Jorg Walesch and Renate Harrington, written by Wolfgang Keinhorst, produced by Nicole Church; repeated in January 1990 and October 1992 (on the new Radio 5)
• L'Italia dal vivo, Radio 4 10 October 1987, 20-part second stage series, with Denise de Rome, written by Bob Powell
• España Viva, Radio 4 1 November 1987, 15-part series for beginners, with TV series, produced by Carol Stanley and Mick Webb
• Ganz spontan!, Radio 4 3 January 1988 Sundays at 5.30pm, 20-part series, third-stage German
• Get By in Japanese, Radio 4 14 February 1988 on Saturdays at 5.30pm, 6-part introduction, with Masae Marr and Takeyoshi Kawashima, written by Chihoko Moran, produced by Frank Warwick; repeated in May 1989 on Sundays
• Get By in Chinese, Radio 4 15 October 1988 on Saturdays at 5.30pm, 6-part series, with Paul Crook and Liu Yuan produced by Kathy Flower; repeated in February 1989
• When in Italy, Radio 4 1 April 1989, 5-part series, with associated TV series, with Denise de Rome, produced by Mick Webb; repeated in September 1989 and November 1995, and on Radio 5 in October 1992
• Get By In Turkish, Radio 4 6 May 1989 on Saturdays at 5.30pm, with Bengisu Rona (having met when a student in London, later working at SOAS University of London from the 1980s, on 23 September 1968, aged 26, in Istanbul, she had married the 34-year-old Labour MP David Winnick, who would be replaced by Eddie Hughes in 2017) and Tayfun Ertan; written by Alan Wilding
• Get By in Russian, Radio 4 7 January 1990 on Sundays at 5pm, 6-part series, with Edward Ochagavia, of the World Service Russian Service and Ludmilla Matthews (her son is the writer Owen Matthews) of the University of London
• Make German Your Business, Radio 5 21 November 1993 on Sundays at 8.30pm, 5-part series; repeated in November 1994
• The French Experience, Radio 4 9 October 1994 Sundays at 8.30pm, with Chantal Cuer
• Short Stories In French, Radio 4 9 October 1994 Sunday evenings, fifteen minutes, four works by Alphonse Daudet, Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant, and Colette, produced by Iris Sprankling; repeated in December 1995
• Short Stories in Spanish, Radio 4 6 November 1994, Sunday evenings, fifteen minutes, four works by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, Jesús Fernández Santos, Horacio Quiroga of Uruguay, and Juan Rulfo of Mexico, read by Yolanda Vázquez and Guillermo Leon-Ruiz, with an explanation by Mike Gonzalez of the University of Glasgow, produced by Iris Sprankling; repeated in January 1996
• Short Stories in Italian, Radio 4 4 December 1994, Sunday evenings, fifteen minutes, four works by Antonio Tabucchi, Italo Calvino, Leonardo Sciascia, and Elsa Morante, read by Giovanna Price of the BBC World Service, with an explanation by Loredana Polezzi of the University of Warwick
• Sueños World Spanish, Radio 4 8 October 1995, on Sundays at 8pm, with a series on BBC1, 16-part series, presented by Robert Elms
• Short Stories in German, Radio 4 8 October 1995, on Sunday evenings, fifteen minutes, four works by Heinrich von Kleist, Wolfdietrich Schnurre, Heinrich Böll, and Siegfried Lenz, read by German voice actress Aletta Lohmeyer
• Francophonie, Radio 4 31 December 1995, 5-part series

European schools in the United Kingdom

• German School London in south-west London which was established to promote the German language and teach children of embassy staff; it opened in 1971
• Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle in South Kensington; it was set up by the Agency for French Education Abroad and was founded in 1915
• EIFA International School London in Marylebone; run by the Mission laïque française and the French government; it opened in 2013
• Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill; it opened at Wembley in 2015, opened by President François Hollande on 22 September 2015; 92% get to Russell Group universities
• Instituto Español Vicente Cañada Blanch, situated in Kensington, it was opened in London in 1972, being run by the Spanish government
• European School, Culham in Oxfordshire since 1978, a former European School (the first was in Luxembourg in 1953); since 2017 it has been called the Europa School UK
• Institut français du Royaume-Uni in London since 1910 and the French Institute for Scotland in Edinburgh; set up by the Institut Français, an outreach agency for the French language
• The Swedish School in London
• Greek Secondary School of London
• The Norwegian School in London
• Russian Embassy School in London

Demographics of Language learners and attitudes

Language education in the United Kingdom is predominately done by middle class girls. Most British students find the lessons boring and unengaging.

Results by LEA in England for French

In 2016 there were 8459 entries for French A-level in England, with 5999 entered by the state sector (grammar schools, sixth form colleges and comprehensive schools).

Lowest number of entries for French A-level

• Knowsley 0 (Knowsley only entered 61 A-levels in 2016)
• Sandwell 4
• Blackburn 5
• Luton 5
• Redcar and Cleveland 5
• Thurrock 5
• Wolverhampton 5
• Barnsley 6
• Hartlepool 6
• Stockton 6
• Blackpool 7
• Rochdale 7
• Salford 7
• South Tyneside 7
• Tameside 7
• Barking 9
• Haringey 9
• Bolton 10
• Halton 10
• Middlesbrough 10
• North Lincolnshire 10
• Swindon 10
• Bracknell Forest 11
• Bradford 11
• Tower Hamlets 11
• Hackney 12
• Medway 12
• Sunderland 12
• Gateshead 13
• Southwark 14
• Doncaster 15
• North East Lincolnshire 15
• Southampton 15
• Calderdale 17
• North Somerset 17
• Oldham 17
• Windsor and Maidenhead 17
• Stockport 18
• Stoke-on-Trent 18
• Wakefield 18
• Walsall 18
• Bedford 19
• Coventry 19
• Kingston upon Hull 19
• North Tyneside 19

Outer London enters considerably more French A-levels than Inner London; Inner London enters few French A-levels.

Highest number of entries for French A-level

• Hampshire 223
• Kent 196
• Hertfordshire 182
• Surrey 165
• Essex 148
• Buckinghamshire 143
• Gloucestershire 135
• Lancashire 116
• Oxfordshire 115
• North Yorkshire 107
• Birmingham 104

Results by LEA in England for German

There were 3446 A-level entries for German in 2016 in England, with 2558 entries from the state sector.

Highest number of entries for German A-level

• Hampshire 101
• Hertfordshire 91
• Lancashire 78
• Essex 75
• Kent 64
• Surrey 58
• Lincolnshire 57
• Buckinghamshire 51

See also

• Association for Language Learning, founded in 1990, the association for language education in UK, headquartered in Derbyshire
• Chartered Institute of Linguists, produces The Linguist
• The Modern Humanities Research Association is in Cambridge, and produces The Year's Work in Modern Language Studies
• Subject Centre for Languages Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS), a former organisation based at the University of Southampton.
• Category:Language education materials

External links

• Association for Language Learning