Blog: Making the Case for Home, Heritage and Community Languages (HHCLs): why accreditation matters
At NCLE, we believe in championing and supporting the rich diversity of languages in addition to English spoken by one in every five of our pupils. We believe that young people’s linguistic repertoire should be celebrated and harnessed as an asset for new learning. Here, Clare Allison, NCLE’s HHCL Consultant Development Officer, explores why recognising pupils’ home, heritage and community languages through accreditation and qualifications is so vital. She also outlines the practical steps that languages departments can take to make this happen.
Written by Clare Allison, NCLE HHCL Consultant Development Officer
As a languages teacher in a secondary school, you will already be doing your best every day to instil a love of languages in your pupils, increase uptake, and boost attainment. Some of you may already be doing this across multiple languages and will have already seen the benefits first hand that supporting accreditation in home, heritage and community languages (HHCLs) can bring not only to pupils but also your school and surrounding communities.
This year marks 50 years since the publication of the Bullock Report, officially titled “A Language for Life”, which emphasised the importance of languages across all areas of education and included the following statement:
“No child should be expected to cast off the language and culture of the home as he [she / they] crosses the school threshold, nor to live and act as though school and home represent two totally separate and different cultures which have to be kept firmly apart” (Department of Education and Science,1975).
A matter of social justice
Languages are a right as enshrined in the UN rights of the child with Article 30 stating “children have the right to use their own language, culture and religion even if these are not shared by most people in the country where they live”.
Some still believe that HHCL languages are a barrier to learning, but the opposite is true. Languages are a resource and an asset for individual pupils, for schools, and for society, particularly when they are embraced by communities. As the British Academy noted back in 2020:
“Stronger recognition of the importance of multilingualism and the UK’s linguistic diversity has the potential to be an asset for the UK. It would support social integration by acknowledging the crucial role of language as part of an individual’s social identity, and enhancing cohesion, openness and tolerance of others in the local community and beyond.”
Accrediting HHCLs is more than a box-ticking exercise or a way to raise the average points score at GCSE, it is an act of equity, motivation and inclusion. It is a way to say:
“We see you. Your language counts. Your culture matters.”
Why does accreditation matter?
In England one in five pupils in schools have a home, heritage or community language and many of these languages, (although admittedly not all), are available at GCSE.
Taking a GCSE in a HHCL provides access to a qualification often taken before other exams in Year 11, therefore developing transferable exam skills, which can be maximised later in your languages classroom. Access to these qualifications can raise the self-esteem of a young person, additionally providing a link to culture and identity. Moreover, a GCSE has a currency that is understood by educators, parents, communities and future employers alike. Qualifications in HHCL can also support new arrivals in your region.
What practical steps can you take today?
The best place to start is to identify which pupils could potentially take a GCSE in their HHCL – look at the school data and conduct an audit. Promote the opportunity through assemblies and form time. Then, use your knowledge of the GCSE exam – (don’t forget it is only the French, German and Spanish GCSE exams that will be assessed differently in Summer 2026, all other languages remain unchanged) – to explain what the GCSE will entail.
You may want to assess readiness for accreditation over the next few weeks, by organising a mock reading and writing exam – often pupils’ speaking and listening skills are more secure.
Models for supporting HHCL accreditation
As language teachers, you already have the skills to support pupils in preparing for language exams — regardless of the language. Even if you don’t speak the language in question, your expertise in grammar, writing structures, exam technique, and assessment criteria is vital and transferable. This work will be even more valuable if you are able to find partners to support you, here are some examples of how this work is already taking place across England:
The Home Language Accreditation Project (HoLA) in the Sheffield City Region has been leading on inspiring work in this area since 2011 and now works with over 50 schools every year. HoLA supports schools to guide learners through GCSEs in their home languages by providing access to trained expert speakers to conduct speaking exams – tackling what it is often the biggest barrier to entry for exams in HHCLs. The initiative also provides access to a mock exam marking service which can assess readiness for accreditation.
In Portsmouth and Doncaster, it is the Local Authority which is taking the lead. Here, they link expert speakers, who often already work as interpreters and support assistants in educational settings, with schools. This means that the speaking exams can take place at the school where the pupil has been entered.
There’s also opportunity for collaboration through building relationships with specific linguistic communities. Heritage language and supplementary schools can make excellent partners and support you in facilitating HHCL accreditation. Attending classes at these schools can also help young people fill gaps in their knowledge and skills as well as connect with other young people with a shared background and culture.
Final thought
Language teachers do not need to become experts in Polish or Bengali overnight, but it is important to recognise the enormous value of the languages already in your classroom.
Let us make room for all the languages in our schools — not just the ones on the curriculum.
Explore further with NCLE with these easy next steps:
- Sign up to NCLE’s free LEO platform today. Valorising all our languages is part of the NCLE mission statement and support for HHCL is embedded throughout the LEO platform. The “Assessing for Success” Module includes information and practical steps for the accreditation of HHCL.
- Attend our free CPD webinars series. Join our webinar on 21st January 2026 titled ‘Languages for all – a social justice issue’ where you will hear from practising teachers and international experts exploring different curriculum models and pedagogical approaches which offer appropriate cognitive, cultural and linguistic challenge. This webinar will also include information on the accreditation of HHCL.
Reference list and useful links
British Academy. (2020) Towards a national languages strategy: Education and skills. Available at: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/publications/towards-national-languages-strategy-education-and-skills/ (Accessed: 6 October 2025).
Department of Education and Science. (1975) A language for life: report of the Committee of Inquiry appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Science under the chairmanship of Sir Alan Bullock. London: H.M.S.O. [online]. Available at: http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/bullock/index.html (Uploaded: November 2006; Accessed: 6 October 2025).
UNICEF (2019) A summary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Available at : https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/ (Accessed: 6 October 2025).
NCLE (n.d.) Support for Home, Heritage and Community Languages. Available at: https://ncle.ucl.ac.uk/focus-on-home-heritage-and-community-languages/ (Accessed: 6 October 2025).
Clare Allison is NCLE’s Officer for Home, Heritage, and Community Languages (HHCL), working across England to raise awareness of the value of home and heritage languages, supporting multilingual approaches in schools and the accreditation of HHCL. Previously, Clare worked at a secondary school in Sheffield where she co-developed the award-winning Home Language Accreditation Project (HoLA), which included a strand to support heritage language schools. Clare has an MA in Education with her research focussing on multilingual approaches in mainstream schools.