A group of nine influential education organisations, including headteachers’ unions and three exam boards, have united to call on the government to rethink its reforms of GCSE modern foreign languages.

The group, which has issued a joint statement calling on the government to rethink the “risky” plans today, includes the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) the NAHT school leaders’ union and the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC), as well as three exam boards - AQA, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC Eduqas.

Language associations, such as the Association for Language Learning, the Independent Schools’ Modern Languages Association and the National Association of Language Advisers, have also called for revisions to the proposals.

Background: GCSE languages plan could lower standards, expert warns

MFL: Reforms to language GCSEs ‘risk standards’, say MPs

GCSEs: Plans for new ‘streamlined’ MFL courses

In March, the government launched new draft subject content to make French, German and Spanish GCSEs “more accessible and motivating for students”.

Proposals included “streamlining” course content so that students would only be tested on what they have been taught, with students “expected to know” up to 1,700 different words in the language.

DfE plans to reform modern languages GCSEs

In April, during an online panel discussion of the changes hosted by AQA, experts warned that the changes could leave students being able to “talk about almost nothing”.

“I think it’s very likely that this is going to lower standards in MFL - not all of those 1,200-1,700 words which form the specification, if that is the content of teaching, will be learned,” Jim Milton, emeritus professor of applied linguistics at Swansea University, said during the discussion.

And in May, MPs on the All-Party-Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages warned that the reforms would widen the difficulty gap between GCSE study and A level.

Today’s joint statement echoes concerns raised when the proposals were first published, such as whether students would have enough vocabulary to communicate in real-life situations; whether it would make the divide in expectation between GCSEs and A levels greater, reducing take-up; and the negative impacts of reform so early in the specification history.

And it says that further consideration is needed on the vocabulary size taught, cultural content and how the languages are assessed.

The group said: “We recognise the GCSE as the pivotal moment within the languages system, around which other key phases and stages revolve.

“We recognise, too, the critical importance of ensuring that the languages curriculum is viable and enjoyable for students right across the UK’s communities, and are concerned by current patterns of unequal uptake.

“While the proposals were based on a segment of relevant published research, we note there is a considerable body of research which validates our concerns.

“We also note that the proposed model of learning and assessment is a risky one, given the lack of international precedent and absence of independent evaluation.”

The statement calls on the Department for Education to undertake a new design phase of the reforms - with stakeholders - to be completed before Easter 2022.

It says that this should focus on “short-term improvements that can be made to existing qualifications within the existing content criteria”, “the nature and extent of vocabulary specification in the future GCSE” and “the coherence of the defined content with its learning outcomes”.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: “There seem to be very few people, language experts included, who agree with the DfE’s view that this reform is the way to inject new life into the existing modern foreign languages GCSE.

“An approach is needed which encourages a love of learning of these subjects.

“Requiring students to grind their way through a list of words is a fundamentally flawed approach that will not enthuse students and we urge the new ministerial team at the DfE to take a step back and rethink this reform.”

Dr Simon Hyde, general secretary of the HMC, said: “We are concerned by the narrow focus of the current proposals, which we do not believe will address the issue of declining numbers of students wanting to study languages, and may, in fact, have a negative impact on enjoyment and attainment in this vital subject area.”

A DfE spokesperson said: “We want more young people to take up modern language GCSEs, and our planned changes aim to make them more well-rounded and accessible for students and teachers.

“Ofsted research shows that students benefit from learning the building blocks of a language first, particularly focusing on vocabulary, phonics and grammar.

“Our proposals aim to increase pupils’ motivation through this approach, and we will continue to work with professional bodies to achieve this.”