The picture for languages in the UK in 2020: the view from UCML

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This talk provides the context for language learning in the UK in 2020 and the challenges and opportunities that face the modern languages as a subject and community across the education sector. It begins by presenting language trends in the UK over the past decade, identifying initiatives that seek to motivate students and improve uptake at different points in the ‘languages pipeline’. In a second part, it explores the work of the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML) and its renewed mission, since 2018, to lobby and advocate for languages to policy makers and influencers. It focuses particularly on the work of UCML to support residency abroad for students of modern languages, radically disrupted by COVID-19.

Invited speakers

Professor Claire Gorrara is Dean of Research Environment and Culture and Professor of French at Cardiff University. She has been Chair of the University Council of Modern Languages since 2018. Amongst her research interests are language learning in UK schools and multilingualism in Wales.

Dr James Illingworth is Teaching Fellow in French at the University of Leicester and Lecturer in French at De Montfort University. He has been Project Coordinator at the University Council of Modern Languages since February 2020.