Why giving children exposure to a greater variety of languages in schools is crucial to problem solving
“Embracing language learning does not mean simply widening access to modern European languages”
In 2021, Ofsted published a report into the state of languages in UK schools. It begins with lofty ambition – the second line declares that learning a language is ‘a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures’ – but soon runs aground on the grim statistics of student disengagement, writes Barry Mansfield of Halcyon London International School, Marylebone.