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<p>In 2010, 40% of pupils in English state-funded schools at the end of Key Stage
4 entered a GCSE in a modern foreign language, and this has increased to 46% in 2020.
Over the same period, the proportion of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 entering
GCSE German reduced from 10% to 7%. German, however, remains the third most popular
language in secondary schools, with nearly 41,000 pupils entering a GCSE in this subject
in 2020.</p><p>Studying a foreign language can be very rewarding, provide an insight
into other cultures and open the door to travel and enhance future employment opportunities.
We know that languages are increasingly important to equip young people in business
and trade to make sure we can compete in the global market. A government-commissioned
study by Foreman-Peck and Wang published in 2014 states that poor language skills
in businesses was holding back UK trade performance. The report can be found at: <a
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-costs-to-the-uk-of-language-deficiencies-as-a-barrier-to-uk-engagement-in-exporting"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-costs-to-the-uk-of-language-deficiencies-as-a-barrier-to-uk-engagement-in-exporting</a>.</p><p>To
improve take-up in German and other languages at GCSE, we have funded the £4.8 million
MFL Pedagogy Pilot which commenced in in December 2018. The pilot is managed by the
National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy (NCELP) and run through 9 school-led
hubs. The pilot is developing fully resourced schemes of work for schools in key stage
3 in French, German and Spanish, as well as disseminating best practice and training
to support language teachers. The aim is to increase both pupil take-up and teaching
quality in French, German and Spanish.</p><p>We have recently extended the programme
to December 2022 and, during its last year, the NCELP will extend its reach to deliver
training to at least 1,350 modern foreign language teachers and will develop fully
resourced schemes of work for Key Stage 4. Information on the NCELP can be found at:
<a href="https://ncelp.org" target="_blank">https://ncelp.org</a>.</p><p>We also commissioned
a review of modern foreign language GCSEs in French, German and Spanish to make them
more accessible and motivating for students. Our ambition is to produce a subject
content that aligns more closely with the Teaching Schools Council’s 2016 MFL pedagogy
review and, in doing so, ensure that subject content reflects research in language
curriculum and teaching and makes language GCSEs more accessible and motivating for
students. Consultation on this opened on 10 March and closes on 19 May. Details can
be found at: <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/gcse-modern-foreign-languages-mfl-subject-content-review"
target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/consultations/gcse-modern-foreign-languages-mfl-subject-content-review</a>.</p>
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