Spanish overtakes French as most popular foreign language GCSE, figures suggest
Spanish has overtaken French as the most popular foreign language at GCSE, figures suggest.
Provisional data for England shows exam entries for French GCSE this summer are down by 1.9%, from 130,650 last summer to 128,155 this year.
GCSE entries for German have also fallen by 7.6% over the past year, from 35,110 to 32,430.
But GCSE entries for Spanish have increased by 1.6%, from 129,935 in summer 2024 to 131,985 this summer, according to the latest Ofqual figures.
The rising popularity of Spanish could be because pupils are more familiar with the language because of the popularity of Spain, the Balearics, and Canary Islands as holiday destinations, a school leaders' union has suggested.
At A-level, entries for French and German are also down (by 8.3% and 6.8%), but entries for Spanish A-level are up by 1.4%.
The overall number of entries for this summer's exams for both GCSEs and A-levels has decreased, according to the data published on Thursday.
GCSE provisional entries have fallen by 0.6% from 5,811,595 in summer 2024 to 5,777,020 this summer.
Meanwhile, A-level entries have decreased by 0.4% from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer.
The decrease for GCSE entries this summer is because of a drop in entries for subjects in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure as well as non- EBacc subjects, England's exams regulator Ofqual said.
The EBacc is a performance measure which aims to ensure pupils take English, maths, science, a humanities subject and a language at GCSE.
GCSE entries for computing – an EBacc subject – have decreased by 4.7% on last year, while entries for history are down by 5.9% on last summer.
In March, the interim report of the independent curriculum and assessment review said it will consider whether the EBacc remains 'effective'.
The review suggested that the EBacc may 'constrain the choice of students' in school, and it could limit their access to vocational and arts subjects.
The provisional figures also show GCSE entries for art and design subjects are down by 1.7% on last year, and GCSE entries for drama are down 1.5%.
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The rising popularity of Spanish as a choice for GCSE probably reflects the fact that many young people may be more familiar with the Spanish language, because of the popularity of Spain, the Balearics and Canary Islands as holiday destinations, than they are with French and German.
'That then tends to be reinforced by what friends and siblings are studying.
'The growing popularity of Spanish is really good news as there has been a long-term decline in modern foreign languages, but we do need to do more at a national level to boost language learning more generally.'
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'It is hard to know for sure why entries have dropped in certain subjects – there is always some variability year on year.
'But one possibility is that with recruitment challenges really biting in schools, some simply don't have the teachers they need to offer courses in certain subjects.
'Teacher recruitment targets were missed in computing, chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages in the last couple of years, and these are among the subjects which experienced a fall in entries.
'This underlines the need for the Government to address head on the fundamental causes of the recruitment and retention crisis gripping schools, which ultimately affects students as well as increasingly stretched leaders and teachers.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Thousands to march on streets of Mallorca in overtourism protest this weekend
A Spanish campaign group, which led a large-scale protest against overtourism in Mallorca last year, has announced it will once again take to the streets of Palma to demand 'stop the touristification' of their communities. Menys Turisme Més Vida (Less Tourism, More Life), an organisation which has led mass protests against the increasing number of tourists jetting off to the island each summer, has revealed it will yet again take to the streets to demonstrate this weekend. Protesters are being called to gather in Plaça Espanya, a centrally located square in Mallorca's capital, Palma, at 6pm on Sunday, 15 June. Demonstrators will then march through some of Palma's most notable streets, and have been encouraged to bring whistles, drums, water pistols and sound equipment. 'Or anything else that comes to mind, be original!' the protest information poster said. The group was behind a large anti-tourist protest that filled the streets of Palma de Mallorca last summer, demonstrating against skyrocketing housing prices in the wake of a tourist boom on the popular holiday island. Around 10,000 protesters showed up to take part on 21 July 2024, with people walking carrying models of planes, cruise ships and posters reading 'no to mass tourism' and 'stop private jets'. Mallorca, along with other Spanish destinations, is a popular summer hotspot for tourists seeking hot temperatures, sandy beach resorts and villages tucked away at the foothills of limestone mountains. This year, Menys Turisme Més Vida said it will be holding another protest on 15 June, with 60 other anti-tourism groups, trade unions and environmental organisations taking part. Speaking of the successful turnout of last year's mass protest, it said that it will again be protesting to make it 'clear that our territories are not for sale'. The group has called for limits to be put on tourism and the need for a strategy that will not exploit 'the territory, its resources and the marginalisation of residents and their vital needs for the benefit of tourist capital'. In a statement, the campaigners claimed that the tourist industry impoverishes people, makes it hard to access housing and diverts focus from the public sector. The organisation also draws attention to the environmental impact of overtourism, including pollution and carbon emissions. It called out the tourism sector for describing businesses as sustainable, stating that this is a 'manipulation' of language and a denial of the issues. Areas such as Sóller, Artà and Palma are already being affected by tourists, the campaign group said, saying daily life has become 'unbearable'. 'Entire roads and paths cut off by tourist-sports events, record numbers of cruise passengers, streets, squares and markets saturated with tourists, occupied and commercialised, and the situation of the housing problem increasingly bloody and without solutions,' it said. Menys Turisme Més Vida followed up with a reposted statement on its social media that said while 'Mallorca is not against tourism', it cannot be a 'theme park open 24 hours a day'. 'Of course we want you to come. To get lost in the narrow streets of the old town, to sit by the sea in winter, to taste a freshly made ensaimada or listen to Mallorcan in a market. We want to share all that. But without meaning that we stop being who we are,' it said. The group said it will be standing in solidarity with hospitality workers in negotiations for better working environments during the high season, as there is usually an 'exploitation' of the working class during this period. 'We are taking to the streets again to say 'enough', and we will do it as many times as necessary,' it concluded.
The Independent
10 hours ago
- The Independent
Tourism could be behind rise in students learning Spanish
Spanish has overtaken French as the most popular foreign language at GCSE level, with entries increasing by 1.6 per cent. French entries have decreased by 1.9 per cent and German entries declined by 7.6 per cent. At A-level, French and German entries have also decreased, by 8.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively, while Spanish A-level entries have increased by 1.4 per cent. Pepe Di'Iasio from the Association of School and College Leaders suggests the rise in the popularity of the Spanish language is due to students' familiarity with Spain as a holiday destination. Vicky Gough of the British Council says the Spanish language is of growing importance for the UK in business and tourism.
Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Telegraph
Spanish overtakes French as most popular foreign language GCSE
Holidays to the Balearic Islands have helped make Spanish the most popular foreign language choice at GCSE, a union has claimed. GCSE entries for Spanish rose by 1.6 per cent to 131,965 this summer, provisional data for England show, edging French off the top spot for the first time in more than a decade. Spanish has risen in popularity in recent years, with GCSE entries jumping almost half since 2014, when 89,450 teenagers took the subject. The boost may be in part fuelled by growing British interest in the Spanish islands as a holiday destination, one union has claimed. Pepe Di'Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said the rising dominance of Spanish at GCSE level was because 'young people may be more familiar with the Spanish language, because of the popularity of Spain, the Balearics and Canary Islands as holiday destinations'. Spain is now the top foreign holiday choice for Britons, with 17.8 million visits made in 2023, according to research published by the House of Commons. The country's islands are now so popular among UK holidaymakers that many have seen a rise in anti-tourist protests in the past year, including in Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza. France is still the second choice for Britons travelling abroad, but is thought to be falling out of favour among young people in search of cheap, sun-filled beach holidays. Meanwhile, trips to Germany dropped by more than 900,000 between 2019 and 2023, meaning the country is no longer in the top 10, as new destinations such as Turkey and Poland also creep up the chart. It may explain why French and German are now both on the wane at GCSE while Spanish sees increasing traction. The number of teenagers sitting GCSE French has slumped by a fifth since 2014, while German entries have dwindled by around 45 per cent over that time, according to Telegraph analysis of Ofqual figures. In total, 128,155 pupils are expecting their GCSE results in French this summer, marking a 1.9 per cent fall compared to last year. German entries dropped 7.6 per cent to 32,430 across the same period, having collapsed over the past decade or so. There are fears that German could die out altogether as a language choice among British pupils, with the number of children taking the subject at GCSE this year representing around a quarter of those sitting either French and Spanish. Provisional data for England show a similar pattern at at A-level, with entries for French and German down by 8.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent respectively, while entries for Spanish rose 1.4 per cent this summer. Mr Di'Iasio said: 'The growing popularity of Spanish is really good news as there has been a long-term decline in modern foreign languages, but we do need to do more at a national level to boost language learning more generally.' Others have pointed to a lack of specialist teachers in state schools under a worsening recruitment and retention crisis. Languages are not compulsory at GCSE level, but many schools choose to make them part of their core syllabus. Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'With recruitment challenges really biting in schools, some simply don't have the teachers they need to offer courses in certain subjects. 'Teacher recruitment targets were missed in computing, chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages in the last couple of years, and these are among the subjects which experienced a fall in entries.' Statistics, performing arts and music were the biggest risers in GCSE subjects this year, according to provisional Ofqual data published on Thursday, with engineering, German and physics recording the biggest falls in entries.
