UCFL - University Council For Languages

It's European Day of Languages today! 😀

"Languages open hearts and minds" - to connect us, inspire new ideas and broaden horizons.

Thinking Strategically: Challenges Facing Language Educators – ILCS An online event with the ILCS focussing on issues faced by language educators will take place on 21st November 2025, featuring Megan Bowler (Oxford), Emma Cayley (Leeds and UCFL), and Charles Forsd…

21 November ILCS event on thinking strategically about the challenges faced by language educators.
Don't miss it, sign up now!
university-council-for-languages.org/2025/09/24/t...

British Academy Report Shows Cold Spots In SHAPE Provision With more students than ever studying at local universities, a recent report published by the British Academy shows growing cuts of humanities, social sciences, and arts degree programmes in rural,…

Mapping inequality in SHAPE

British Academy report shows Cold Spots in SHAPE Provision.

An important read, check it out on our website:

university-council-for-languages.org/2025/09/12/b...

National appointment to REF subpanel for UCFL Chair Emma Cayley, Current Chair of UCFL has been appointed to the REF subpanel for 2029. Emma said of her reaction to the news: ‘I am honoured and humbled by this appointment and looking forward v…

We are delighted that Emma Cayley, Current Chair of UCFL has been appointed to the REF subpanel for 2029.
university-council-for-languages.org/2025/09/05/n...

Excellent letter.

This is excellent. Languages matter for all kinds of reasons, and governments should be pressed to facilitate and encourage their take-up in schools and universities.

The APPG Modern Languages has shared a Letter to The Times by Baroness Coussins, Co-chair of the APPG, in response to their recent leading article arguing falling languages uptake narrows young people's horizons (www.thetimes.com/comment/the-...)

Spanish surpasses French in popularity among students in historic first for language studies, according to the British Academy. New GCSE data shows that Spanish has overtaken French for the first time as the most popular language choice among students, following a sustained rise in entries of nearly 25% since 2020. Spanish entries increased from around 109,594 in 2020 to 136,871 in 2025, while French uptake remained steady - climbing slightly from 132,036 in 2020 to 134,651 in 2024 before dipping to 132,808 this year. The data is released today by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) and has been analysed by the British Academy, the national academy for the humanities and social sciences. It reveals wider trends in student choice across the curriculum. SHAPE subjects (Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts for People and the Economy) continue to make up more than half of all entries (54%) - a figure that has remained consistent since 2019.

Bit more on the Guardian liveblog here
www.theguardian.com/education/li...

Vicky Gough, British Council’s schools adviser, said: “We need the success of Spanish reflected across all languages through exchanges, cultural programmes and real-world connections that demonstrate why languages matter. [...] young people from less privileged backgrounds miss out on opportunities"

Lost in translation Even in the language app era there are benefits to learning a foreign tongue

Lost in translation - the case for learning modern foreign languages
www.ft.com/content/c9f3...

Can universities help re-route languages pathways?
whoteacheslanguages.blogspot.com/2025/07/hope...

@cforsdick.bsky.social @emmacayley.bsky.social
@nickhillman.bsky.social
@ucflangs.bsky.social

Lost in translation Even in the language app era there are benefits to learning a foreign tongue

‘2023 polling for the @britishacademy.bsky.social found 71 per cent of Britons would support making language study compulsory in schools.’

Pleased to see this FT editorial makes the case for learning foreign languages

on.ft.com/4mP3rrf

Languages and the 2025 A-Level Picture The British Academy’s look at this year’s A-Level results gives a mixed message for the humanities. Economics and Politics are still drawing in more students, but many other SHAPE subjects are slip…

Languages and the 2025 A-Level Picture - a blog post by our @ucflangs.bsky.social vice-chair Marcela Cazzoli @marcecazzoli.bsky.social :
👇
university-council-for-languages.org/2025/08/14/l...

Listen below to our @ucflangs.bsky.social Chair
@emmacayley.bsky.social, in conversation with Matt Frei
from LBC News, discussing a recent @hepi-news.bsky.social report on the current crisis in language learning in the UK and the urgent need to address this at policy level 👇🏼

New HEPI report calls for urgent action on revitalising language learning UCFL welcomes the release of a new HEPI report, sponsored by Duolingo, that highlights the urgent need for action to support and improve the uptake of languages at school level and beyond. It empha…

Read UCFL's reaction to the new HEPI report on languages: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/31/n...
The recommendations for HE are particularly welcome, as are those around equality of access and social justice. @emmacayley.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social

New HEPI report calls for urgent action on revitalising language learning UCFL welcomes the release of a new HEPI report, sponsored by Duolingo, that highlights the urgent need for action to support and improve the uptake of languages at school level and beyond. It empha…

New HEPI report calls for urgent action on revitalising language learning - @ucflangs.bsky.social welcomes the release of a new HEPI report, sponsored by Duolingo, thqt highlights the urgent need to support and improve the uptake of languages: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/31/n...

@ucflangs.bsky.social The University Council For Languages (UCFL) responds to welcome a new @hepi-news.bsky.social report and joins them in calling for urgent action on revitalising language learning university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/31/n...

📣Important podcast on the value of speaking other languages 👇

The conversation looks at how the languages we speak influence how we think & affect how we relate to others. It explores how multilingualism can foster social cohesion, support cognitive flexibility, & even boost economic opportunities.

Response to the Interim Curriculum and Assessment Review (CAR). In the interim report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review of March 2025 , the subject ‘Languages’ was classified as requiring Category 1 intervention, i.e., a subject currently deem…

A great afternoon in Westminster thanks to the APPG ML. We presented our collective response to the Curriculum & Assessment Review: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/06/23/c... Was pleased to be there to represent @ucflangs.bsky.social with @wendya-b.bsky.social & @marcecazzoli.bsky.social

A wonderful day of collegiality and sharing good practice for the @ucflangs.bsky.social Summer Plenary in the splendid surroundings of the @ilcs.bsky.social Spreading the good news about languages & optimism for our collective future. Thanks to our speakers and to all who made the effort to attend 💐

Fascinating discussion and a really insightful day so far! #langsky

Nominations: ECA REP and Slavonic and East European Rep We are calling for nominations to the UCFL Executive Committee of suitably qualified people for the following roles: An ECA Representative and a Slavonic and East European Representative. The role …

We are calling for nominations to the UCFL Executive Committee for the following roles:

- ECA Representative

- Slavonic and East European Representative.

Please see our website for the role descriptions and the nominations forms: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/03/n...

Our @ucflangs.bsky.social Summer Plenary today has a range of crucially important panels on current developments in languages provision in HE.

First up: David Clarke (Cardiff University) & Derek Hird (Lancaster University) on Modern Languages in a Global Humanities Landscape.

Nominations: ECA REP and Slavonic and East European Rep We are calling for nominations to the UCFL Executive Committee of suitably qualified people for the following roles: An ECA Representative and a Slavonic and East European Representative. The role …

We are calling for nominations to the UCFL Executive Committee for the following roles:

- ECA Representative

- Slavonic and East European Representative.

Please see our website for the role descriptions and the nominations forms: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/03/n...

Fewer pupils in less affluent English schools taking languages, survey finds Less than half taking foreign languages GCSEs compared with 69% in most prosperous state schools

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

UCFL Small Grants Scheme UCFL Small Grants Scheme The Scheme: Context Following targeted support to UCFL representative groups in the devolved regions/jurisdictions, UCFL has made available small-scale grant funding to fac…

The UCFL small grant scheme is currently open for applications, with a deadline on 4 July: university-council-for-languages.org/ucml-small-g...
Applications for the Postgraduate Bursaries are also welcomed, with the same application deadline : university-council-for-languages.org/ucml-pg-burs....

Learning German has many benefits for young people – and it’s not as hard as its reputation suggests Learning a language gives you unique insights into different cultures, societies and perspectives.

As a very late contribution to #ShoutOutForGerman, a little piece on the benefits of learning German (and any language, really!) & why it’s not as hard as some may think: theconversation.com/learning-ger... #languages #German #LanguageLearning @ucflangs.bsky.social @uk.diplo.de @ags-gbi.bsky.social

A rare opportunity for a permanent lectureship in German in our fabulous School! Please circulate to your networks. @ucfl-eca.bsky.social @ucflangs.bsky.social

Regrettably, Foreign Languages continue to be marked too harshly at GCSE. Nobody wants ‘easy’ grades, but fairness is a good starting point.

@ucflangs.bsky.social

University of Nottingham cuts target language teaching staff The University of Nottingham cuts all casual staff at its Language Centre, with evening classes going.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...