Languages at Key Stage 4 2009. Evaluation of the impact of the Languages review recommendations: Findings from the 2009 survey
01 October 2010
Available to download from DFE
In 2008, the then Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) commissioned NFER to examine the impact of the Languages Review on languages at Key Stage (KS) 4 in maintained schools in England. This report presents findings from a large-scale questionnaire survey conducted in the first year of what was originally planned to be a three-year evaluation, but which was discontinued in July 2010.
The main aims of the evaluation were to collect factual data on languages provision and uptake at KS4 in maintained secondary schools in England and to investigate heads of languages’ perceptions of the impact of the Languages Review recommendations on languages at KS4. The evaluation comprised both quantitative and qualitative strands and included a questionnaire survey to heads of languages and case study visits to a small number of schools.
Key findings from the survey are reported under three headings:
- Breadth and flexibility of provision and accreditation
- Factors supporting languages uptake at KS4
- Impact of the Review’s main recommendations.