International Languages in Schools in Wales: Languages Matter - talking points July 2025

This review was commissioned to evaluate teaching and learning international languages in primary, secondary and all-age schools in Wales. The last Estyn thematic on international languages was in 2016 before the roll out of Curriculum for Wales. The thematic highlights effective practice through cameos within the report. It will provide a professional learning resource for all those involved in planning for and teaching international languages. 

The report notes that in general, while there are examples of good practice, the quality of teaching and curriculum design of international languages is inconsistent. Transition between primary and secondary phases is weak, and uptake at GCSE and A Level is low, which poses challenges for the future of international language education.

Some primary schools have made good progress embedding languages early and across the curriculum for Wales. However, many face challenges such as low staff confidence, limited curriculum time, and insufficient professional learning.

Learners generally enjoy language learning early on, but interest declines over time due to perceived irrelevance and low confidence with some learners believing learning Welsh sufficient as an additional language. Opportunities exist in early secondary Years 7 to 9, however uptake then drops due to curriculum pressures and perceptions of difficulty. The report also notes that better communication with families is needed on the relevance of languages in society and the opportunities they can present. 

Effective leadership supports better provision with schools with stronger engagement seen where teaching is creative and well-resourced. However, many leaders do not prioritise international languages, leading to inconsistent quality and poor transition support. Schools value external support, and initiatives like Global Futures have helped, but sustainability is a concern and access to professional learning and resources varies. Teacher recruitment also remains an issue as further education and vocational pathways offer limited language options.

For Schools: 

Recommendation 1

Strengthen teaching to improve pupils’ knowledge and skills, and their confidence to use the target language spontaneously and independently.

Recommendation 2

Improve curriculum planning and transition arrangements to ensure that pupils build on prior learning when moving from the primary phase to the secondary phase.

Recommendation 3

Review curriculum planning and timetabling to ensure sufficient time is allocated to international languages, to support pupils to make effective progress and achieve their potential.

Welsh Government response

Local Authorities lead on local school improvement arrangements. We will work with our partners and wider networks to ensure that key messages are delivered to schools around transition arrangements and allowing them to understand our expectations for wider curriculum choice.

In 2022 the Welsh Government published guidance on transition within the Curriculum for Wales and a range of supporting materials and case studies on establishing effective transition processes within and across schools and settings. In addition, in 2024, we published further supporting material on establishing processes for a shared understanding of progression and effective cluster working.

We will continue to use our Global Futures partners, networks and stakeholder groups to outline our expectations. We will also continue to facilitate opportunities for practitioners to influence future policy development through opportunities for co-construction such as the Practitioner Policy Group which recently focussed on international languages. 

During our recent 14 to 16 learning events for school leadership teams across Wales, Estyn identified areas for schools to consider including the widening of option choices in year 9 to avoid a narrowing of options that discouraged take up of international languages. 

We will continue to create learning resources on Hwb learning platform that support schools develop experiences that are purposeful, interconnected and meaningful for your learners.

For the Local Authorities and school improvement services should:

Recommendation 4

Strengthen professional learning to ensure that teachers and, where appropriate, support staff, develop confidence and expertise in delivering international languages, particularly in the primary phase.

Recommendation 5

Work with schools to ensure that all pupils have access to international languages qualifications, particularly where opportunities in individual schools at GCSE and A Level are limited.

Welsh Government response

We will continue to work closely with the Local Authorities and school improvement partnerships to identify ways to support the implementation of these recommendations as part of the Global Futures programme.

Local Authorities lead on local school improvement arrangements which provides clear ownership and accountability. We will work with our partners to ensure that key messages are delivered to schools allowing them to understand the expectations of the Curriculum for Wales around international languages.

Welsh Government have also recently announced a suite of grants to support schools, including an award to e-sgol. which is designed to specifically support primary schools develop their provision and support teacher confidence to deliver international languages. 

Simplified professional development from September 2025, a new professional learning body will provide clear, consistent training opportunities that teachers can access regardless of where they teach. 

For Welsh Government and where relevant Medr should:

Recommendation 6

Strengthen the guidance available to schools and other stakeholders, to support pupils and their families to understand the value of learning international languages at GCSE and A Level. 

Welsh Government response

We welcome this recommendation. Welsh Government want all schools to understand the value of international languages and for all learners and to be able to have access to a wide range of opportunities both here in Wales and across the world.

The Welsh Government has a clear vision and strategy to support modern foreign language learning in Wales which is set out within the Global Futures 2022 to 2025 strategic plan designed to support multilingualism in schools and increase the number of young learners studying languages at all levels. The aims and accompanying actions within the strategic plan are taken forward by the Welsh Government and the Global Futures steering group. 

Members of the group include regional education partners, Estyn, Qualifications Wales and Careers Wales. The Welsh Government extended the Global Futures 2022 to 2025 plan for a further year and are reviewing the strategic plan with our partners as part of this review we will consider how best we can address the issue.

Welsh Government recently announced increased investment in international languages support totalling some £1.6 million over the next 3 years. These are grants to address specific issues affecting the provision of international languages: to the highly regarded Steven Spender trust to support the professional learning and the integration of creative techniques into primary and secondary schools; and the e-sgol programme to support primary teachers deliver international languages. This includes the continuation of the Cardiff University mentoring programme for a further three years. 

The Cardiff University mentoring programme which works with 100 secondary schools across Wales to boost take-up of languages. This offers targeted intervention to groups of year 8 and year 9 learners who are unsure about taking a language. Since 2015, approximately 20,000 learners in schools across Wales have engaged with the project.

The Welsh Government also funds Taith, Wales’s international learning exchange programme, which offers funding for primary and secondary schools to run international learning exchanges for their learners and staff, opening their eyes to other cultures.

Recommendation 7

Strengthen curriculum support for international languages to help schools plan more effectively for progression and continuity of learning, particularly as pupils move from the primary to the secondary phase.

Welsh Government response

The Welsh Government will continue to work with education partners and share examples from a range of schools and settings across Wales and welcome the inclusion of useful cameos in this report, particularly from our primary schools. The Welsh Government also recognises the importance of developing a shared understanding of progression and effective school to school working. 

The Welsh Government guidance on Transition from primary to secondary schools sets out the legal responsibilities around transition arrangements for all schools and settings alongside practical illustrations from schools and clusters. We will continue to prioritise funding to schools across Wales to support their curriculum development, including school to school collaborations and ongoing development of a shared understanding of progression in support of learner transitions. In 2024 to 2025 this school funding amounts to £6 million.

The Curriculum for Wales framework guidance will be updated annually in January of each year with clear details of what has been updated appearing on the main Curriculum for Wales page on Hwb.

In addition to existing supporting materials, we will continue to co-construct guidance and support for schools that is clear and practically supports a shared understanding of learner progression along the 3 to 16 continuum. This will include nationally available support and a range of tools and templates announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Education in July 2024, that will be made available throughout this academic year. Clusters can use these to design their curriculum and assessment arrangements together. 

Schools should work collaboratively within their locality, in partnership with their Local Authority, to identify long-term strategies to address local 3 to 16 challenges, identifying and tackling barriers to learning at the earliest stage possible, ensuring a smooth transition in learning for all learners.

We will continue to use our Global Futures partners, networks and stakeholder groups to outline our expectations and support their planning. We will also continue to facilitate opportunities for practitioners to influence future policy development through opportunities for co-construction such as the Practitioner Policy Group which recently focussed on International languages and our recent 14 to 16 learning events for school leadership teams which took place across Wales, where Estyn identified areas for schools to consider including the widening of option choices in Year 9.

Recommendation 8

Develop a national approach to support school improvement services, schools, colleges and ITE partnerships to ensure the long-term sustainability of international languages teaching and learning in Wales.

Welsh Government response

The Welsh Government has a clear vision and strategy to support modern foreign language learning in Wales which is set out within the Global Futures 2022 to 2025 strategic plan. The strategic plan provides a clear framework for how Welsh Government works in partnership with our key partners, drawing on their knowledge, expertise and experience of supporting teachers and learners. The aims and accompanying actions within the strategic plan are taken forward by the Welsh Government and the Global Futures steering group. 

Members of the group include regional education partners, Estyn, Qualifications Wales and Careers Wales. The Welsh Government extended the Global Futures 2022 to 2025 plan for a further year and are reviewing the strategic plan with our partners. In developing our future support, we will review the available evidence and draw on the expertise of the Global Futures Steering Group to consider how best we can address the issues outlined by Estyn.

Medr welcomes the recommendations of this report. While the responsibility for these lies primarily with Welsh Government, there is a clear link between compulsory education and tertiary education, in terms of pipeline and subject demand. Medr is committed to working with Welsh Government in these areas where we can add value, including in terms of the development of a national approach.

The report was published on 9 July 2025 and can be accessed on estyn’s website.