Promoting modern languages beyond the compulsory stage: exploring the relationship between school-level curriculum policy, GCSE uptake and attainment in England

Language learning in state-maintained schools in England is a compulsory part of the curriculum between the ages of 7-14. However, decisions around whether to position languages as ‘core’ or ‘optional’ beyond this stage are devolved to individual schools and there is little evidence on how such school-level curriculum policies influence uptake and attainment, particularly in light of wider accountability measures like the English Baccalaureate. This paper addresses this gap by quantitatively analysing data from a representative sample of 615 state-funded secondary schools in England on school curriculum policies for modern languages (ages 14–16) and attainment in GCSE modern languages examinations, controlling for other relevant variables such as disadvantage, prior attainment and linguistic diversity. Multiple regression analysis revealed that school-level curriculum policy is the strongest predictor of GCSE language uptake, highlighting the importance of institutional commitment to language learning in shaping students’ opportunities. Analysis of the attainment data indicated that while a higher uptake of GCSE languages was associated with a marginal decrease in average attainment, offering a greater number of language options was independently associated with higher attainment. This suggests that broadening language provision may help support attainment outcomes, even as a more diverse range of students take languages.