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<p>The reformed National Curriculum makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools
to be taught a foreign language in Key Stage 2, and the English Baccalaureate (EBacc)
performance measure, which includes languages, 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.</p><p>Recruiting MFL teachers is also a priority. Generous
financial incentives are offered for languages teaching, including scholarships in
modern foreign languages worth £28,000, and tax-free bursaries, typically worth up
to £26,000. The Department is also 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 MFL. For the 2019/20 academic year, the programme will be open to secondary
schools and also (as a pilot) to primary schools. The Department also has a Teacher
Subject Specialism Training programme which aims to improve the subject knowledge
of non-specialist teachers and returning teachers in MFL and to increase the number
of hours taught.</p><p>The Department has recently launched the new Teacher Recruitment
and Retention Strategy, which will attract new teachers to all subjects, including
MFLs.</p><p>A £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 nine school-led
hubs, to improve uptake and attainment in languages at Key Stages 3 and 4. A pilot
project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils has been launched
to drive up participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage
to extend access to languages for all pupils.</p><p>The Department recently published
and promoted a guidance leaflet<sup>[1]</sup> for parents, which explains why studying
a language, as part of the EBacc, broadens opportunities in both education and employment.
In February, attention was drawn to the benefits of studying a language among 13-14
year olds through a social media campaign.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc</a>.</p><p>
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