It is no secret that Modern Languages as a discipline is in crisis: numbers of GCSE and A-level language entries have been steadily declining since 2005; the number of undergraduates studying languages has more than halved since 2007/8; university modern language departments across the country are closing or downsizing.[1]
At school level, there are a number of intersecting barriers to language learning and challenges facing the subject: harsh grading at A-level; teacher shortages; the common misconceptions that languages are not useful and do not lead to good careers; the lack of cultural engagement in the GCSE curricula; reduced international opportunities for schools since Brexit…the list goes on. Of course, these issues impact disadvantaged pupils more significantly, with the most deprived schools in the country offering fewer language options at all levels.
Thanks to a very generous donation from Sir Michael Perry to fund the role and associated activities, my mission (and major challenge!) within the Faculty as Schools Liaison and Outreach Officer is to try to combat these barriers and misconceptions. This work is undertaken with leadership from the Faculty’s Director of Schools Liaison (currently Dr Emily McLaughlin), and support from enthusiastic and invaluable Undergraduate and Graduate Student Ambassadors, Faculty academics, and other outreach colleagues across the collegiate University.
Having such invested stakeholders allows our outreach work to be fairly extensive. As well as contributing to University-wide outreach programmes like Opportunity Oxford and UNIQ, and supporting Colleges’ own outreach initiatives, the Faculty offers a consistent annual programme of events and activities for school pupils.
Our Flash Fiction Competitions receive over 1200 entries each year, with winners and runners up awarded prizes and certificates for their creativity and linguistic flair. You can read the 2024 winning entries for both French and Spanish on our blog. We hold annual events for local schools: our Sixth Form Literary Masterclass (which supports students to develop skills and confidence in analysing foreign literature) and Year 9 Languages Day (which showcases the joys of language learning beyond the school curriculum and encourages progression to GCSE) are always oversubscribed and receive great feedback.
Last year’s Language Teachers’ Conference was particularly successful, with 72 MFL Teachers (up from 53 in 2023) travelling from across the country for two days of talks, panel discissions, workshops, and networking opportunities. Over half of the attendees were state school teachers and 63 different schools were represented (up from 44 last year). The Faculty also funded 7 first-time state school attendees to join free of charge.
Open days are a cornerstone of the year, providing us with a chance to showcase the wonderful degrees we offer at Oxford. Our 2024 Modern Languages Open Day welcomed a record 513 prospective applicants and their companions to the Examination Schools for a day of exploring our courses and meeting current students and academics.
Alongside this standard programme of events, we organise several ad hoc visits to and sessions with schools (both in-person and online), and host school groups in Oxford for languages-themed days throughout the academic year.
Change can be hard to come by at Oxford. Thankfully, this is less true of outreach work which naturally must adapt to current trends. The creation and delivery of several new initiatives is what I am most proud of across my three years in the role.
In March 2024, we trialled a new Beginners’ Languages Taster Day in response to the declining A-level language options available to students, particularly in state schools. This was a chance for prospective students who were still considering their course options to experience taster sessions in two completely new languages that we offer from scratch in the Faculty. The day was met with positive feedback: 79% of survey respondents said they were more likely to apply to study a beginners’ language at university following the event; 95% said that the Taster Day allowed them to explore a language they had not considered before. We are delighted to be holding the event again in 2025.
In recent years, I have been collaborating in various ways with the Queen’s Translation Exchange – a fellow outreach centre led by Dr Charlotte Ryland which provides excellent language resources and activities for schools. Together, along with input from Cambridge University, academics, and school teachers, we designed and established the first sustained contact programme the Faculty has co-led: ‘Think Like a Linguist’. Across five interactive sessions, the programme helps Year 8 students to consider the question What does it mean to think like a linguist? from a unique perspective. It has been running in Rochdale since 2023 and will expand to Blackpool in 2025.
Our current focus is now on a pilot outreach scheme, the VOx Programme, which sees the Faculty partnering with schools in different regions across the country which act as hubs for nearby schools. Under this model, trained Graduate Ambassadors travel to hub schools to deliver activities designed to encourage students to continue studying languages to GCSE/A-level/degree level. The first year of the VOx Programme was met with mixed success. Despite several challenges, we plan to continue the pilot this year, taking on board the feedback and evaluation to ensure the Programme runs more successfully. We hope that this model will increase the efficiency and reach of our work.
Moving forward, our priority is to support more disadvantaged and underrepresented students to access modern languages study throughout school and all the way to university. Part of this process lies in the creation of accessible and engaging resources for pupils and teachers, and also targeting schools in geographical ‘cold spots’. We also want to be more data- and evaluation-driven in our outreach work to ensure that we are measuring impact effectively and concentrating efforts on what works best.
If you are an MFL Teacher and would like to join our mailing list to hear about upcoming events and activities for schools/school pupils, please email Nicola at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
[1] https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/1764/BAR35-04-Kenny-Barnes.pdf
https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-insight/language-trends-england-2024