News and Research

At NCLE, we believe that languages education is transformative and plays a crucial role in raising aspirations and developing the potential of every child.  A hugely powerful way to do this is by opening up the world to your classroom: the international dimension will broaden your pupils’ horizons. Vicky Gough, Schools Adviser at the British … Continued

NCLE is offering an unprecedented package of support for schools who offer German, or would like to, or who are simply looking for high impact ways of raising their languages profile. Andrea Pfeil and the Educational Service Team from the Goethe-Institut explain why German can help your school stand out.  Written by Andrea Pfeil and … Continued

The NCLE recently held a webinar hosted by Joe Dale, NCLE AI Project Lead, showcasing how language teachers are integrating artificial intelligence into their classrooms. In this piece, Joe summarises the key takeaways from the webinar, including insights from three different NCLE Language Networks’ pilot projects demonstrating innovative, practical applications of AI tools for language … Continued

Summary of GCSE languages results: Vicky Gough, British Council Schools Adviser, said: “Congratulations to all students receiving their GCSE language results today! “As our Language Trends research predicted, Spanish has now overtaken French as the most popular GCSE. Its growing popularity and cultural appeal show there is real appetite for language learning – when pupils … Continued

By Zhu Hua, Elin Arfon and Ann-Marie Hunter Language learning in the UK is often framed as being in a state of “crisis”, foregrounded particularly by declining language GCSE uptake and concerns about the long-term future of language learning in schools. But does this narrative provide a fair reflection of what is happening across all schools in England? Our … Continued

Vicky Gough, British Council Schools Adviser, said: “Congratulations to all students receiving their A-level language results today. “The significant drop in French and German entries this year is alarming and highlights an urgent need for the increased promotion of language learning in schools.  “Our most recent Language Trends research reveals a stark reality – language … Continued

On Saturday 22nd March 2025, Gareth Thomas MP for Harrow West, the India All-Party Parliamentary Group, The 1928 Institute, and UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society held a conference exploring the teaching and learning of Gujarati language and culture in England.  The conference was also supported by the exam board Pearson UK, who offer Gujarati … Continued

After a wonderful visit by the Department of Education to Littleover Community School, NCLE Specialist Teacher and Head of German Dawn Piper shared an overview of the day. “On Tuesday 24th September, Derwent Language Hub at Littleover Community School were delighted to host the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Education and nearly 250 civil … Continued

Professor Li Wei, UCL IOE Director, Dean and Professor of Applied Linguistics and Chair of the NCLE Board of Directors, reflects on the transformative powers of language learning and how IOE works to spread these benefits. You can read the full article on the UCL IOE website here.

Hola! Tag! Ciao! Bonjour! NCLE Language Hubs around the country have been celebrating European Day of Languages on 26th September. Check out some of the wonderful activities that were happening to celebrate the beauty of language diversity. Beeleigh Language Hub has been working to to boost language education in Essex. Tyne to Tees Language Hub … Continued