A review into modern languages teaching in England’s schools has today been published by schools inspectorate Ofsted.

It identifies the “pressured position” of languages in English schools and states that “there are many barriers that still need to be overcome for languages to flourish”.

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Drawn from a number of research documents, the Ofsted review identifies such barriers as including:

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1. Lack of CPD

In primary schools, more than 70 per cent of teachers have not accessed language-specific CPD in the past year (including specialist native speakers and specialist languages teachers).

Teachers’ CPD abroad and teacher-exchange programmes remain “underdeveloped” and are “financially out of reach for almost all teachers”.

2. Low expectations

Low expectations among teachers and school leaders have a negative impact on pupils’ perceptions. The report states: “There can be an assumption that some pupils are not able to succeed in languages, such as those with lower prior attainment or those with SEND”.

3. Early GCSE choices

The trend to bring forward GCSE choices to Year 8 in some state schools has meant that “large numbers of pupils are receiving only two years of language teaching in key stage 3 in secondary school”.

4. Sats pressures

In some primary schools, the amount of time spent learning languages in Year 6 was reduced due to a focus on preparation for national curriculum tests

5. Curriculum planning

Some primary schools do not plan a curriculum around making substantial progress in one language, the review found.

6. Primary to secondary transition

Issues around transition between primary and secondary school, including weak communication, have not yet been overcome, according to Ofsted.

7. Pupil perception

Pupils often perceive languages as “difficult”, the report states.

It says: “Many studies suggest that pupils’ perceptions of their lack of success in languages are linked to a lack of belief in their ability and a lack of clarity about how they can improve. Some research also highlights concerns about the relative difficulty of languages, as reflected in external accreditation like GCSEs.”

8. Relevance

Studies have shown that many pupils struggle to see the relevance of the subject in their lives, according to the report.

9. ‘Demotivating’ comparisons

Pupils who take part in exchange programmes sometimes feel demotivated when they compare their own linguistic ability with that of their peers abroad, says Ofsted.

The report states: “Multiple studies show that pupils learning English abroad begin to do so between the ages of 6 and 8. They spend more time on languages and most continue studying languages until the end of compulsory education.”

This is the fourth in a series of reviews into different subjects across the curriculum by Ofsted.