Chattering classes

Modern languages are increasingly becoming an elite subject, dominated by the middle classes and concentrated at the top universities. Anna Bawden reports

Disappearing languages - see the map here (pdf)
Language closures


The map attached of disappearing language courses in universities showed Middlesex University no longer offering single-honours German. However, it is still offered as a joint degree with other languages or subjects.

The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Monday March 26 2007

Some language degrees offered at Oxford University were omitted from the list at the end of the article below: they are Portuguese, Russian, modern Greek and Celtic; and as subsidiaries, Czech, Polish, Catalan and Galician.


The map attached showing disappearing language courses in universities mistakenly listed three courses that had been stopped at Paisley University. In fact, the university offers joint language courses, studying two from French, German and Spanish.

Where will the UK's future linguists come from? As fewer and fewer students opt for languages at GCSE, many university departments face closure. The result, an Education Guardian analysis has found, is that languages are becoming an elite subject, studied by middle-class students and offered by only the top universities. The number of institutions offering straight "single-honours" degrees in French, German and Italian has declined dramatically in the past 10 years, yet courses offered by the Russell group of elite universities have remained stable.

As Lord Dearing's review of languages this week reveals, the problem starts at school. Since learning a language ceased to be a compulsory subject after the age of 14 just over two years ago, the proportion of pupils taking a language at GCSE has slumped. In 2004, when languages were dropped from the core curriculum at key stage 4, 80% of pupils took one or more languages at GCSE. Now only half do.

Yet although, overall, the number of secondary schools teaching languages at GCSE continues to fall, grammar schools, specialist schools and independent schools have maintained language provision. Only 26% of pupils on free school meals take at least one modern foreign language. At the 296 language specialist schools and the grammar schools, on the other hand, the figures are closer to 90%, while around 80% of independent school pupils take a language.

This means that those going on to take languages at A-level, and subsequently degree level, are becoming predominantly middle-class. Universities report that it is getting harder and harder to find students from other backgrounds. "Languages have a most unsatisfactory rate of diversity," says Martin Durrell, head of German at Manchester University.

Dearing's report recognises that, to reverse the decline at degree level, foreign languages must be more widely available at primary level. He adds that secondary schools should be encouraged to offer a mix of GCSE and alternative language courses. Specialist diplomas should also give more thought to incorporating some element of language teaching.

Ultimately, foreign languages need to be more engaging and relevant as well as more flexible, Dearing argues. Universities and teachers are hopeful that the new "languages ladder" - which teaches foreign languages incrementally, in a similar way to piano grades - will help to keep pupils interested and should be promoted as an alternative to GCSEs.

A return to compulsory language GCSEs is not an option. Dearing says it would be wrong and is in favour of a "middle way" between freedom and prescription that appeals to pupils of all aptitudes.

And speaking a foreign language should be appealing. It enables people to travel abroad more easily and appreciate other cultures, as well as improving job prospects. Research shows that people with language skills can earn £3,000 a year more than those without.

Will it be enough to stem the decline in the numbers studying languages? If the government adopts Dearing's proposals, there will be more emphasis on encouraging children to continue learning them, whether academically or vocationally.

But although the report advocates more support for languages at university level, it will be hard to reverse the trend that has seen foreign language study become an elite subject.

"Languages are becoming academically elitist and the vision of languages for all is at risk for a very large proportion of the less academic pupils at age 14," Dearing said in December's interim report. This is borne out by recent figures from the University and College Union showing a concentration of language degrees in the older universities.

While Chinese and Spanish are becoming more popular, traditional languages are in decline. In the past decade, the number of institutions offering languages such as French, German and Italian has dropped by 18%. The numbers of post-92 universities (the former polytechnics) offering these degrees has dropped even more substantially.

In contrast, language degrees at the Russell group of elite universities have remained stable. Students wishing to study single-honours French, German, Italian or Spanish can still do so at University College London, Oxford, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

And many of the other older universities also offer French, German and Spanish as single-honours and Italian as a joint-honours degree. Some have even increased their language provision: Liverpool, Sheffield and Southampton have all started joint-honours Italian courses, and Warwick now offers single-honours Italian.

Other elite universities outside the Russell group have also been less affected by the decline in language courses. Although some (notably East Anglia and Essex) have stopped offering some or all single-honours language degrees, at others demand is stable or growing. Queen Mary (part of the University of London), Reading, Durham and Lancaster all continue to provide a broad spread of single- and joint-honours language degrees, while Surrey University has started offering French and Spanish.

Elsewhere, the picture is much grimmer. Sixteen universities no longer offer degrees in any of the four main languages: De Montfort, Bedfordshire, Brunel, East London, South Bank, Thames Valley, Sunderland, Bolton, Central England, Staffordshire, Keele, Bradford, Glamorgan, Lampeter, Paisley and Robert Gordon. In the east Midlands, east, north-east, south-west, Yorkshire and the Humber and Scotland, single-honours languages are not offered outside top universities at all.

Some languages have suffered more than others. German has fared the worst; Durrell says it has "gone down the pan" in a number of institutions. Overall, there are 25% fewer universities still offering degrees in German than a decade ago. The decline is particularly marked in London, where provision has more than halved.

Spanish renaissance

In contrast, Spanish has held up remarkably well, due to its resilience at GCSE and growing awareness of the number of people around the world who speak it. In fact, the figures show Spanish degrees are more widely available than they were a decade ago. And as the Chinese economy takes off, so has interest in studying it as a language. Manchester University has started single-honours Chinese and Japanese degrees, on top of Polish as a subsidiary subject.

"Spanish has been the major growth area for several years, driven in part by growing awareness of its importance as one of the most widely spoken languages worldwide," says David Whitton, head of European languages and cultures at Lancaster University. "I would expect to see a similar effect with Chinese."

Some universities are fighting back against the middle-class dominance of languages. At Lancaster, says Whitton, subject awards of £1,000 for students on potentially vulnerable courses have helped to stem the decline in applications.

"Over half our students come from comprehensives and colleges in the north of England," he says. "But we have had to work hard to make languages accessible. Whereas formerly we would admit mainly on the basis of A-levels ... now we teach all languages from scratch and post-GCSE as well as post A-level." As part of the Northwest Universities' Languages Alliance, Lancaster is working with other institutions to coordinate efforts to promote languages in schools.

Others are going even further. Michael Worton, vice-provost at UCL, says that by 2014, all undergraduates in every discipline will need a modern language at GCSE level to apply, something Cambridge already stipulates.

But these universities are an exception. In many places, language degrees are hanging on by a thread.

Without compulsion at school level, say supporters, more incentives will be needed to continue to provide pupils with access to language teaching. A priority must be to tackle the perception that languages are difficult. The risk must be that they will go the way of classics - a subject dominated by middle-class students and, some might say, a dead one.

Other language degrees on offer at UK universities in 2007

Central Lancashire*, Cambridge*, Durham*, Edinburgh, Exeter, Lampeter*, Leeds*, Manchester*, Oxford, Salford*, Soas, St Andrews*, Westminster*.

University College London*.



Aberdeen*, Aberystwyth*, Edinburgh, Glasgow*, Queen's University Belfast

Central Lancashire*, Edinburgh, Lampeter*, Leeds, Liverpool John Moores*, Manchester*, Newcastle*, Nottingham*, Nottingham Trent*, Oxford, Soas, Sheffield*, Sheffield Hallam*, Westminster*.

Nottingham*, UCL*.

Bristol*, Glasgow*, Sheffield*, UCL*.


Cambridge*, Sheffield*, UCL.


Aberdeen*, Glasgow*, UHI Millennium Institute*.

Greek (modern)
Cambridge*, King's Coll London*, Leeds.


Cambridge*, Oxford, Manchester*, Soas*, St Andrews*, UCL.



Aberystwyth*, Queen's Belfast*, Ulster*.

Birmingham*, Cambridge*, Cardiff*, Central Lancashire*, Edinburgh, Leeds , Liverpool John Moores*, Manchester*, Newcastle*, Nottingham*, Oxford, Oxford Brookes*, Soas, Sheffield*, Southampton*.

Soas, Sheffield*.



Cambridge*, Edinburgh*, Exeter*, Manchester*, Oxford*, Soas*.

Glasgow*, Sheffield*, UCL*.

Birmingham*, Bristol*, Cambridge*, Edinburgh*, King's College*, Leeds*, Liverpool*, Manchester*, Newcastle*, Nottingham*, Salford*, Southampton*.

Bath*, Birmingham*, Bristol, Cambridge*, Durham*, Edinburgh*, Exeter, Glasgow, Leeds*, Manchester*, Nottingham*, Queen Mary, Sheffield*, St Andrews*, Surrey*, UCL*.

Nottingham*, UCL*.


UCL*, Dundee*.

Leeds*, Soas.


King's Coll London*, Manchester*, Oxford, Soas.



Aberystwyth , Bangor, Cardiff , University Of Wales Insititute, Cardiff*, Glamorgan*, Lampeter*, Swansea

* Combined or joint honours

Source: Ucas