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How to get students opting for languages at GCSE
experiences bring to school life, and we make a point of celebrating it. Guided by our motto, “Learning shapes lives”, we are committed to high academic standards and rich experiences, enabling students to thrive, feel happy and make a positive impact beyond school.
How important do you think it is for children to study a language?
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licia Blanvillain, Head of MFL at The Magna Carta School, shares her insights into increasing the appeal of language- learning for students.
Tell us about your school
At The Magna Carta School, we welcome around 1,029 students aged 11 to 16 as part of Unity Schools Trust. We are proud to serve a diverse community, with 19% of our students identified as SEN. Every day, we see the richness that different languages, cultures and
Languages are hugely important. Language skills open doors, personally and professionally, and give students that something extra for their CV however recent Ofqual data revealed that the number of MFL GCSE entries decreased by 0.6% between Summer 2024 and Summer 2025, while the British Council’s Language Trends England 2025 report stated that fewer than half of GCSE students in state schools across England study a language. These are concerning statistics that must be reversed.
What challenges/barriers have you faced getting students to engage with language learning?
One of the biggest challenges we come up against is that many students don’t immediately see why learning a language could benefit them later. If they can’t picture when or how they might use it, their interest can fade quickly. We also meet plenty of learners who are genuinely
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worried about the subject itself. Some find languages difficult, some feel overwhelmed by what they think the workload will be, and others fear they simply won’t pass if they choose it at GCSE. Those concerns can easily put them off before they have had a chance to realise what they are capable of, so supporting them early on is essential.
How have you overcome these challenges? We have several strategies in place:
• Building curiosity before commitment. From the first term of Year 7, all students study French and Spanish. Only at the end of the year do they choose which language to continue from Year 8. That early, supported choice gives students ownership right from the start. Beginning with two languages sparks curiosity and strengthens the foundations (grammar, vocabulary, phonics and sound patterns) that make later success possible. Over time, we have seen that interest formed in Years 7 and 8 often develops into intention in Year 9.
• Make languages visible and valued across the school. Students are far more likely to pick a subject they see, hear and celebrate
March 2026
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