Explore which languages are taught in UK schools, why uptake is falling, and how growing multilingual classrooms are increasing the need for education translation.
Experts are saying the UK is falling behind in language learning.
Less than half of GCSE students in England study a language today, according to data from the British Council. Meanwhile, Ofsted highlights a “worrying fall” in GCSE and A-level language uptake over the last two decades.
However, data from the University of Cambridge shows that students who identify as multilingual perform better across subjects, not just languages. English may be the dominant language globally, but multilingualism is still increasingly valuable.
So why the gap? Language education in the UK is at a turning point, challenged by declining participation yet evolving through globalisation.
What languages are taught in UK schools?
The core languages taught across the nation have remained relatively unchanged for decades: French, Spanish and German dominate both GCSE and A-level entries. The reasons are layered: historical ties, geographical proximity and an established curriculum and teacher availability being the strongest factors. It can be argued that the latter is a problem compounded by itself – if these are the only languages taught, these are the only graduates to go into teaching, feeding the same cycle.
Nonetheless, some schools offer languages such as Mandarin, Arabic, Urdu and Japanese, although they are less widely offered. This shows that the UK curriculum is still reflecting a Eurocentric model, even as our society becomes increasingly more global.
This trend continues into higher education, with Spanish, French and German remaining the most popular European languages studied at UK universities. Although, according to a report by the British Academy and the University Council of Modern Languages, acceptances to undergraduate language degrees have declined significantly over the past decade, particularly in traditional European languages.
Is the UK falling behind in language learning?
There’s a clear decline in language uptake after the age of fourteen. Less than half of students take a language GCSE, and this is often down to the varying policies across UK schools, where language learning is no longer compulsory beyond a certain age.
A UK Parliament briefing states that language learning in England is “consistently poor when compared with foreign language learning in other countries”.
In comparison, many European countries start their language learning earlier, encourage the learning of multiple languages, and regularly achieve higher fluency rates than we do in the UK.
Beyond a school’s decision to no longer make a language compulsory, it’s likely that English dominance creates a sense of complacency among students. Compared internationally, the UK risks falling behind in language capability – robbing students of global opportunities. But English dominance increases reliance on translation and multilingual communication.
The rise of non-European languages in UK classrooms
Despite the traditional Eurocentric approach to language learning, there appears to be growing interest in languages such as Mandarin and Arabic for reasons like economic importance or geopolitics, as well as community languages such as Urdu, Polish and Bengali.
The drivers behind this change are factors such as globalisation, migration and multicultural classrooms – with students showing a desire to learn and practise the languages of their family members, neighbours or peers – and economic shifts.
This shows schools are adapting, albeit slowly – many of these languages are still underrepresented in formal curricula.
Language access matters in education – beyond the classroom
There’s more to language access than what’s offered in the classroom. With a closed and limited approach to foreign languages, language barriers have the potential to affect important elements like parent-school communication, student support and safeguarding, as well as access to vital resources and policies.
This is where language access becomes less about curriculum and more about inclusion. For universities with significant multilingual populations, the question isn’t just what languages are taught – it’s whether the institution itself communicates in a way that everyone can understand.
For schools and local education authorities, education translation plays a key role in ensuring that parents can access essential information – from consent forms to safeguarding policies – regardless of language.
In practice, this means a growing demand for translations of documents including reports and assessments, admissions and course information, consent forms and safeguarding documents.
Students and families with English as an additional or second language may be at a disadvantage without the proper support. Language education goes beyond what is taught in the classroom – it’s about how educational institutions communicate with diverse communities.
The same challenge extends into higher education. UK universities host over 270,000 international students – the second highest number in the world – yet many institutions still produce key documents in English only. For students and families navigating a new country and education system simultaneously, that gap is more than inconvenient. It affects international recruitment and student support services.
Supporting multilingual education in practice
UK language education is narrow in scope and declining in uptake, while communities are expanding in diversity and communication needs are increasing.
Classrooms and lecture theatres are more multilingual than ever, yet many schools and universities are failing to keep up with the increasingly multilingual landscape. The need for accurate and inclusive communication across languages has never been greater.
At Aktuel Translations, we support educational institutions with specialist education translation services, helping schools, colleges, educational organisations and universities communicate effectively with students, parents, and global partners.
Whether translating key documents or supporting international collaboration, the translation of educational documents plays a vital role in making education accessible to all.
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