Languages in UK Education

Guest editors: Charles Forsdick and Wendy Ayres-Bennett

Call for policy papers for a special collection in Languages, Society and Policy(LSP)

This collection would like to provide an overview of the current position of languages in UK education, in particular of areas which are considered to be under strain or in need of revision. Potential authors should remember that policy papers for LSP must be: i) based on peer-reviewed published research; ii) 2,000-3,000 words in length; iii) be written so as to be accessible to non-specialists; and iv) offer policy recommendations or offer policy guidance for practitioners. In other words, these are not opinion pieces, but policy papers offering research-based evidence for criticizing, endorsing or proposing a policy.

We are keen to include papers on:

• A range of languages, including i) home, heritage and community languages; ii) the UK’s indigenous languages including BSL; iii) traditional languages taught in the UK education system;

• All stages of the languages curriculum, from primary through to secondary, FE and HE, including transition points between the different Key Stages or equivalent;

• All four jurisdictions of the UK (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales): here policy recommendations might include recommendations about adopting ‘best practice’ from another jurisdiction.

• Languages qualifications (at KS4 and equivalent; post-16; and integration of languages in vocational and technical qualifications);

• Integration of languages across the broader curriculum;

• Languages in ITE and teacher retention;

• Sustainability of less-widely taught languages.

Please send an abstract of your proposed policy paper, comprised of up to 250 words, to crf41@cam.ac.uk and wmb1001@cam.ac.uk by 31 March 2024. The guest editors would also welcome informal inquiries from potential contributors. You can find more about LSP at https://www.lspjournal.com/