A Future for Languages in Schools?

On Friday 3 July 2015, Pembroke College Oxford hosts a Colloquium entitled “A Future for Languages in Schools?”, at a critical juncture for language education in the UK. As the number of students taking the subject at all levels are falling, and GCSE and A Level qualifications in many languages are being dropped, representatives from schools, universities, and language education bodies will convene to share their findings with others who are concerned about the state of languages in the UK; and to make plausible and actionable suggestions for the improvement of languages in schools, and of the relationships between schools, universities, and policy-makers.

Keynote speeches by Peter Horrocks, Vice-Chancellor of The Open University and former Director of the BBC World Service, and Oliver Miles, former British Ambassador to Libya, Luxembourg and Greece, will supplement a series of working groups focusing on three key areas: Schools, Universities, and Policy.

Findings will be drawn together in the final plenary session, from which we hope a number of action points may be taken forward by interested parties. Updates from the Colloquium will be featured on this website after the event.