Cash-strapped sixth forms dropping language A-levels
More than half of colleges have ditched at least one language, with German the chief victim
More than half of sixth forms in England have dropped at least one foreign language A-level, according to a new survey of school leaders.
A total of 271 headteachers were surveyed by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA), on behalf of the Raise the Rate Campaign, which calls for an increase per-student government spending on sixth form education.
The research found that 51% of schools and colleges have dropped language courses due to funding pressures.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“French, Spanish and German have been hardest hit – 57% of sixth form leaders who took part in a survey said German courses had been axed, 38% have dropped Spanish, 35% had ditched French,” says The Guardian.
The strain on modern languages departments has been exacerbated by the UK’s upcoming departure from the European Union, according a British Council survey of school leaders
More than two-thirds of state schools in England employ teaching staff from EU countries, many of them as foreign language instructors, and school leaders report “negative impacts on staffing, and fears about future recruitment and retention of language teachers” since the Brexit vote.
The alarming findings come days after the publication of a report by an all-parliamentary committee warned that drastic action is needed to avert a “disastrous” skills shortage.
Baroness Jean Coussins, who co-chaired the group, told the BBC: “We are complacent. In the 21st century, speaking only English is as much of a disadvantage as speaking no English at all.”
Languages are not the only victims of strained budgets. More than a third of the sixth forms surveyed by the SFCA had cut at least one Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) course from its A-level options.
Funding for sixth form education “is one of the hardest hit areas in education”, says The Guardian, citing a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which found that real-term government spending per student in school sixth forms has fallen more than 20% since 2010.
Campaigners for fairer funding are calling for an increase in the annual funding rate from £4,000 per student to at least £4,760.
SFCA chief executive Bill Watkin said their new report “makes it absolutely clear that the government must increase the funding rate for sixth form students in this year’s spending review”.
In a statement, the Department for Education defending its funding of sixth form education, but said: “We recognise that the financial position for sixth form colleges is challenging and are looking carefully at the needs of all colleges in the run-up to the next spending review.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The billion-dollar fight over the 'holy grail' of shipwrecks
In The Spotlight Several nations have staked a claim to the San José's treasure but who has the right to it?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Kate Winslet's eight-year battle to bring the life of Lee Miller to the big screen
The Blend Lee, based on the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller, has been a long time in the making
By Olivia Cole Published
-
'Miracles in the mud'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Unschooling: the radical education trend raising eyebrows
Under the radar Some parents are letting their children lead their education
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Satanists are pushing for representation in schools
In the Spotlight The 'After School Satan Club' has been igniting controversy in recent months
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Intelligence service: how schools are managing AI
In Depth Machine-thinking has the potential to create a paradigm shift in education but the change and challenges are huge
By Amanda Constance Published
-
Smartphones face bans in US schools
Talking Points Educators say the devices disrupt classrooms
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Not worth cheating your way in
Opinion Bribing the college admissions office no longer makes any sense
By Mark Gimein Published
-
Schools are suffering from low attendance
Under the radar But students are suffering even more
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The rise and rise of home-schooling
The Explainer Why more parents in the US and UK are choosing to educate their children at home
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
How incel culture is on the rise in UK schools
The Explainer Teachers report students to counter-terrorism Prevent scheme amid 'scourge' of misogyny and sexual abuse
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published