Why top-down language policy matters

This paper argues that top-down language policy matters and that policymaking would benefit from: (i) a longer historical purview of what has and has not worked, and (ii) more holistic, cross-government approaches. Drawing on examples from the past two decades from across the UK, this paper starts by demonstrating the impact of top-down educational policy about languages, notably on uptake. It contrasts the negative impact of the 2004 removal of the statutory requirement for languages at KS4 in England and that of compulsory languages at primary level in Northern Ireland with the success of the Mandarin Excellence Programme. It then reviews more mixed outcomes, including compulsory language learning at KS2 in 2014, the EBacc’s development in England, implementation of the 1 + 2 approach in Scotland, and the attempts to increase the number of Welsh speakers in Wales. In the second part, we argue that language education policy in the Department for Education would benefit from greater acknowledgment across government of the broader impact of languages, as ongoing work with the Home Office and the Department for Health and Social Care illustrates. We conclude with the recent case made by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for more British speakers of Mandarin.