Languages News

As part of our advocacy work at the Queen’s College Translation Exchange, we keep a close eye on how languages and languages reform are reported in the media. See below for our list of relevant articles, with the most recent first.

This is intended as a public resource to support wider advocacy efforts, and does not represent QTE’s own work or views.

• Ian Proud, Times Higher Education, 25^th November 2025
  The procession of university language closures will trip up UK diplomacy

• Joseph Ford, The Conversation, 24^th November 2025
  England’s national curriculum review misses opportunity to revitalise language learning

• Wendy Ayres-Bennett, Charles Burdett, Emma Cayley, and Marcela Cazzoli, Times Higher Education, 14^th November 2025
  The latest threat to UK modern languages is yet another faux pas

• Simon Mark, National World, 11^th November 2025
  If we want children to learn languages then we must motivate them [featuring comments by QTE Founding Director, Charlotte Ryland]

• Oliver Wright, Nicola Woolcock, The Times, 6^th November 2025
  Bridget Phillipson’s reforms ‘the death blow to learning languages’

• Pilita Clark, Financial Times, 2^nd November 2025
  Sí, oui, ja! You can learn a language late in life

• Mark Boobbyer, The Irish Times, 14^th October 2025
  UK students are abandoning languages and the arts. Let’s make sure it never happens here

• Glynis Lloyd, Schools Week, 28^th August 2025
  How to unleash the power of multilingualism in school

• Sophia Smith Galer, The Guardian, 23^rd August 2025
  Time for a reality check: Britain cannot be a big global player unless we speak more languages

• Cindy Yu, The Times, 18^th August 2025
  Learning languages helps us to unlock cultures

• Editorial, The Financial Times, 15th August 2025
  Lost in translation: even in the language app era there are benefits to learning a foreign language.

• Juliette Claro, Schools Week, 12^th August 2025
  How the Francis review can solve England’s languages crisis

• Laura Spinney, The Guardian, 27^th March 2025
  Swahili? Mandarin? The UK is increasingly multilingual – yet our politicians won’t talk about it

• John Claughton, TES Magazine, 26th March 2025
  Why the curriculum review is right to focus on languages in primary

Curriculum and Assessment Review – responses

The Curriculum and Assessment Review commissioned by the Department for Education and led by Prof. Becky Francis was published in full on the 5^th November 2025. Several recommendations dealt with future Languages provisions. Below we have compiled official responses to the Review from various Languages organisations.

• National Consortium for Languages Education
  https://ncle.ucl.ac.uk/a-new-narrative-of-opportunity-for-languages/

• The British Academy
  https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/the-uks-national-academy-for-the-humanities-and-social-sciences-the-british-academy-responds-to-the-final-report-of-the-curriculum-and-assessment-review/

• Association for Language Learning
  https://www.all-languages.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/ALL-CAR-Press-Release.pdf

• APPG for Languages
  https://www.ciol.org.uk/appg-publications
  https://x.com/APPGML/status/1986416606247796893

• House of Commons debate on the Curriculum and Assessment Review
  https://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2025-11-05a.927.0&s=modern+languages#g927.2

• Independent School Modern Languages Assocation
  https://www.ismla.co.uk/ismla-response-to-the-curriculum-and-assessment-review-and-the-governments-response/