The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists SUMMER 2026 The Linguist 29 FEATURES them; their views on how language teaching has developed in Britain during their career – what has been successful, what has not, and why; and their experience of language teaching in other countries and what perspectives this has given them on language teaching in the UK. The issues that emerge, particularly concerning secondary education, are pertinent to the current debate, the deliberations of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modern Languages, the 'Special Collection' of articles recently commissioned by The Language Learning Journal, 2 and reactions to last year's Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR) 3 for England. Although the interviewees sometimes offer contrasting perspectives, reflecting their different career roles (e.g. leader of a subject association, school inspector, researcher), there is a general consistency of perceptions, and a shared commitment to 'languages for all' and multilingualism. Developments to build on The years 1990 to 2010 were regarded as a time of progress in language education, building on grassroots innovations from the 1970s onwards (such as Graded Objectives in Modern Languages/GOML) supported by local education authorities (LEAs), teacher associations and CILT, the National Centre for Languages. The first versions of the National Curriculum Programme of Study for modern foreign languages (MFL) opened up a range of learning opportunities nationally that had been emerging during the 1980s. The National Languages Strategy 2002 brought together teachers, teacher trainers, LEA advisers and researchers. It also drew on contacts abroad through participation in EU initiatives and the work of the Council of Europe, e.g. on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the European Language Portfolio. Significant investment in CPD enabled teachers to share firsthand experiences and to meet specialists in particular aspects of their subject. After a change of government in 2010, most of this infrastructure collapsed with the abolition of the National Languages Strategy and CILT, cuts in CPD, and reduced contact with the rest of Europe even before Brexit (e.g. the UK withdrew from the Council of Europe's European Centre for Modern Languages in 2011). Networking opportunities and space for teachers to meet and talk were greatly diminished – "we've lost the glue," as one teacher put it. From 2013 onwards a more prescriptive stance was adopted by the Department for Education, and the National Curriculum Programme of Study had a narrower focus in later revisions. The changes generally lowered expectations and restricted learning experiences. Several contributors remarked on the erosion of 'teacher agency' and the stifling of autonomy at a grassroots level. The 'Languages Ladder', inspired by GOML and the CEFR, had offered access to less commonly taught languages and a staged route to qualifications other than GCSE. However, it had to be abandoned after 2011 following policy changes. The interviewees saw the particular challenge of teaching MFL in an anglophone country as a key factor not recognised by policymakers. Comparisons with learner performance in English abroad are unhelpful: more curricular time is made available there, and ubiquitous English provides support and enrichment beyond the classroom. Language learning in the UK needs more focused support and substantial investment. The UK has learned much from cooperation with European and other international colleagues. However, UK colleagues, notably John Trim, former Director of Linguistics at Cambridge University and former Director of CILT, played a leading role in the development of European initiatives and projects, not least the CEFR, now used worldwide. Two-way exchange of ideas deserves to be fostered. Notes 1 Available via the Languages Lives website, with transcripts, bio notes and bibliographies; https://cutt.ly/cultnet 2 Pachler, N et al (2025) 'Rethinking Language Education in the School Curriculum in England'. In The Language Learning Journal, 54,1 3 Curriculum and Assessment Review (2025) 'Building a World-class Curriculum for All: Final Report', 5/11/25 4 Lid King, Ros Mitchell, Steven Fawkes, Terry Lamb, Alan Dobson, Do Coyle and Mike Byram. 5 The team has been joined for Phase 2 by Tanya Riordan, PGCE Tutor for MFL, University of Portsmouth. The first Language Lives interviewees 4 were almost all first-generation graduates who had attended state secondary schools – mostly grammar schools. Their formative influences include a close relationship with an autodidact grandfather, Welsh or Irish heritage, a Sunday school, a Scout camp and gap year volunteering overseas. They were motivated by a fascination with other countries, possibly following a school trip or a particularly inspiring teacher. They all had French as a working language, usually alongside German and/or Spanish, but less commonly taught languages also featured, notably Danish, Greek, Irish, Portuguese and Russian. During their professional careers they encountered audio-lingual and/or audio- visual methodology and language awareness alongside traditional grammar/translation. All experienced the movement towards communicative language teaching. We are now continuing with Phase 2 of Language Lives, 5 which includes a wider cohort of people. For example, we include the experience of headteachers with a 'whole school' perspective, teacher educators/trainers, and overseas colleagues whose insights into their own education systems might inform our thinking about language learning and teaching in the UK. A wealth of experience

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