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<p>The government welcomes the All Party Parliamentary Group’s report. Languages are
increasingly important to ensure future competitiveness in the global market.</p><p>The
department’s strategy for languages includes the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance
measure, which has seen the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded
schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) increase from 40% in 2010 to 46% in 2018.
The reformed national curriculum makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools
to be taught a foreign language in key stage 2.</p><p>Our £4.8 million MFL Pedagogy
Pilot commenced in December 2018. It is managed by the newly appointed MFL Centre
for Excellence and is run through 9 school-led hubs, to improve uptake and attainment
in languages at key stages 3 and 4. The department has launched a pilot project in
MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive up participation
in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access
to languages for all pupils.</p><p>Recruiting MFL teachers is also a priority. Generous
financial incentives are offered for languages teaching, including scholarships in
MFLs worth £28,000, and tax-free bursaries, typically worth up to £26,000. The government
is working in partnership with Spain’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training
to deliver Spain’s Visiting Teachers Programme to provide schools with access to a
pool of qualified teachers from Spain who are able to teach MFLs. For the 2019/20
academic year. This programme will be open to secondary schools and also (as a pilot)
to primary schools. In addition to this, the Teacher Subject Specialism Training programme
aims to improve the subject knowledge of non-specialist teachers and returning teachers
in MFLs and increase the number of hours taught.</p><p>The department has also recently
launched the new Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which will attract new
teachers to all subjects, including MFLs.</p><p>The department continues to promote
the value of language qualifications to students who are choosing their GCSEs and
to their parents. A guidance leaflet for parents was recently published, and can be
found attached, which explains why studying a language, as part of the EBacc, broadens
opportunities in both education and employment. In February, the department drew attention
to the benefits of studying a language among 13-14 year olds through a social media
campaign.</p>
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