In light of the recommendations made in the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review (Department for Education, 2025), we are interested in how foreign languages are being delivered in primary schools in England.
As part of our ongoing research on the Progression in Primary Languages (PiPL) project, we asked primary schoolteachers and headteachers about their views and experiences of implementing primary languages policy (i.e., foreign languages policy in primary schools), including the influence of wider societal changes and attitudes.
Since September 2014, learning a foreign language has been compulsory for all children aged 7-11. The National Curriculum in England expects pupils to make ‘substantial progress in one language’ (Department for Education, 2013, p. 2), but it does not explain what this means in practice. As we explore in this blog post, primary schools must navigate these vague expectations, whilst balancing their ambitions for language learning with practical constraints.
Why focus on foreign languages policies and practice in primary schools?
Policies and curriculum guidance for primary languages set out the expectations for what children should learn, but how these expectations are interpreted and enacted can vary widely between schools. Focusing on policy and practice makes it possible to understand how national requirements are translated into classroom experiences, and what tensions or challenges may exist.
Within the PiPL project, we are investigating how children learn French, Spanish or German in primary schools. In this strand of the project, our focus is on how policy expectations shape practice, and the factors that influence children’s language learning experiences.
Last year, we spoke to teachers and headteachers to hear about their experiences of primary languages teaching and learning. We interviewed 15 headteachers and 3 deputy headteachers, and conducted focus groups with 50 staff members – including class teachers, teaching assistants, specialist language teachers and members of senior leadership teams – across 17 primary schools in diverse contexts across England.
In this blog post, we share what teachers and headteachers told us about the value of learning languages in primary school, as well as the challenges and barriers they experience in practice.
What did we find?
Primary school teachers value language learning
We found that teachers and headteachers recognise the value of language learning in primary schools. Many felt that learning another language from a young age is important and helps children widen their sense of the world. They described children becoming more confident, curious and open-minded:
“…committing to a language over a 3-4 year period allows children to make significant enough progress that they build confidence … which I think is a skill and knowledge acquisition … But then culturally there’s a second aspect to it where it’s broadening children’s horizons about … what the world looks like.” (Headteacher)
Additionally, we found that teachers and headteachers view language learning as more than just a curriculum requirement. They believe it is an important opportunity for children to learn about themselves, each other, and the world around them – but they also made it clear that this vision is difficult to deliver in practice.
What gets in the way?
Narrow societal attitudes: “Everyone speaks English …”
Many teachers and headteachers spoke about tensions between what they value in school and attitudes towards language learning in wider society. For example, one headteacher explained that some children view languages as unnecessary and ask questions such as, “If you go abroad, why would you need to learn a language? Because everybody speaks English …”. She continued:
“We’re trying to push, ‘well, actually it could be really important for … a whole world of opportunities, jobs … will open up…’, but English is the business language. And so, people think ‘well, they just need to learn English then, don’t they?’” (Headteacher)
Another headteacher suggested language learning is important for celebrating diversity and ensuring all children feel included. They described how learning another language can help children build empathy and appreciate different cultural and linguistic identities:
“…we’re all about … celebrating other cultures and celebrating each other’s languages … the fact that you’re formally learning another language does send a clear message that we value it.” (Headteacher)
Our findings suggest there is a clear tension between the value placed on language learning within schools and wider societal perceptions that English is the only language that children need. As we explore next, tensions between what teachers tend to value in school and broader societal attitudes are a part of deeper, systemic issues impacting language learning.
Systemic and structural barriers
Even when schools are committed to language learning, teachers face real challenges linked to wider structural constraints, such as limited funding to recruit and retain specialist language teachers. As one specialist teacher explained:
“Schools can no longer afford to pay teacher wages for a language teacher … to secure my own salary and career progression and pension, I have to become a class teacher and therefore step away from teaching languages, which is what I was trained to do.” (Specialist teacher)
As a result, the lack of specialist provision can have knock-on effects for classroom practice. We found that responsibility for language teaching and learning tends to fall on generalist teachers instead, who may feel unprepared to teach languages but are increasingly held to account for children’s progress. For instance, whilst reflecting on his experiences of being a generalist teacher, a headteacher said:
“…you’ve got to know maths to be able to teach maths and you’ve got to know … science to be able to use … science … If you don’t know French, you do … lack confidence. And with that lacking in confidence comes a lack of wanting to teach it and a lack of passion when you’re teaching it.” (Headteacher)
A lack of subject knowledge in languages seems to cause a number of challenges for primary schools, as headteachers pointed out that many generalist teachers have limited proficiency in the language they are expected to teach, and few receive the training they need to build their confidence.
“MFL is considered as important as any other subject in our school now, which almost makes it one of the hardest because it’s the one that our staff are trained for the least.” (Headteacher)
As we outline below, these systemic and structural barriers related to a lack of specialist provision and teacher preparedness can be closely linked to wider curriculum and policy challenges.
Curriculum and policy challenges
Even when schools genuinely want to deliver effective language learning experiences, the reality of busy timetables and limited curriculum guidance can get in the way. Many teachers and headteachers described days so packed that finding even an hour for language learning can feel like an impossible task. Busy timetables and extensive school curricula mean languages can be easily side-lined or overshadowed by other subjects.
“Timetabling … persuading the timetable organisers that I do actually need an hour in year five and six. And not 45 minutes if we’re actually going to get anything written.” (Specialist teacher)
Others pointed out that the National Curriculum offers only broad and brief guidance, leaving teachers unsure about how to plan lessons, track learning outcomes, or know whether pupils are meeting the expectation of “substantial progress”. Many schools rely heavily on pre-prepared schemes of work for language learning, which can offer structure and planning for progression. However, many generalist teachers reflected that low confidence, and a lack of language knowledge, can make it harder for them to adapt lessons to pupils’ needs, or make meaningful or tailored decisions about how to support children in language learning.
Concluding reflections
In sum, it is clear that primary schools do value language learning. Teachers and headteachers suggest it builds children’s confidence, helps them to connect with the world, and supports them in understanding different cultures and perspectives. Yet, a number of systemic barriers and challenges can make teaching and learning languages difficult in practice. Societal attitudes and ideas that “everyone speaks English” can still shape children’s views of languages. Within schools, various systemic barriers including teachers’ confidence, vague policies and curriculum guidance, and a lack of time and funding can make languages feel less important than other subjects.
What our findings mean for practice
To understand how language learning is implemented in primary schools, our findings suggest that broader societal and systemic factors need to be considered. Most importantly, as already highlighted by the Research in Primary Languages White Paper (Holmes and Myles, 2019), schools need teachers that are better prepared with the skills and confidence they need to teach languages effectively. Our findings also point to the challenges caused by limited curriculum guidance, an issue that has been recognised in the recent Curriculum and Assessment review.
Language learning is about much more than getting a job or learning phrases to use on holiday – for teachers and headteachers, it is about identity, belonging and understanding the world. Addressing the systemic challenges that schools continue to face is essential to ensure that schools and teachers are equipped to provide the best language learning experience for their pupils.
Your thoughts
We are always keen to hear your thoughts. Do these insights on primary language learning reflect your own experience? Let us know what you think by emailing us at PiPL@reading.ac.uk.
References
Department for Education. (2013). National curriculum in England: languages programmes of study – key stage 2. Crown Copyright. Accessed: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7b9246e5274a7318b8f889/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Languages.pdf
Department for Education. (2025). Curriculum and Assessment Review Final Report: Building a world-class curriculum for all. Crown Copyright. Accessed: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/690b96bbc22e4ed8b051854d/Curriculum_and_Assessment_Review_final_report_-_Building_a_world-class_curriculum_for_all.pdf
Holmes, B., & Myles, F. (2019). White paper: Primary languages policy in England – The way forward (White Paper). Research in Primary Languages (RiPL). Accessed: https://www.ripl.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/RIPL-White-Paper-Primary-Languages-Policy-in-England.pdf