Dear UCML Colleagues

You will be aware that the Routes into Languages programme will not be funded by HEFCE beyond the end of July 2016. As Chair of the Routes into Languages Advisory Board, I am well aware that the team at Southampton and the consortia are looking creatively at ways to continue in some form, but this will undoubtedly be a challenge without bespoke funding for national and regional coordination as well as for specific activities, beyond what individual universities are able to provide themselves.

Routes has had unprecedented success in bringing universities together to work collaboratively to make the case for languages in schools and progression to HE and, most recently, has also been promoting greater outward mobility, including for students of other disciplines. Routes has particularly focussed on underrepresented target pupils (i.e. on Widening Participation).

You may remember that UCML wrote in May to the Secretary of State for Education and to the Universities Minister in light of the new DfE policy that all pupils entering Year 7 this year would be expected to take GCSEs in all EBacc subjects (which of course include a language). In that letter we stressed the need for continuation of Routes to support the Government in achieving this policy by motivating pupils, parents and teachers. We also raised the question of teacher supply to realise this policy, given the falling numbers of students graduating from our languages departments who might be available to enter the profession and the need for Government to work with HE in a joined up approach. It is estimated that the new policy will face a shortfall of some 4,000 language teachers and by my own calculations based on entrants just to French, German and Spanish degrees in 2013-14 (who will graduate in 2017, be available to train to teach in 2017-18 and to teach from 2018 onwards, which is the first year that universal take-up of EBacc will be expected), based on current DLHE statistics of the proportion of our graduates who go into Education as a career, there would be a maximum of 235 individuals from this supply chain (not all of whom would necessarily go into secondary MFL teaching!)

A school teacher who has particularly valued the Routes programme has started a petition to Government to continue the funding of this programme. I am therefore alerting you to the opportunity to sign the petition and to disseminate its existence as you deem fit within your institution and relevant networks and/or to schools with which you liaise.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/111879/sponsors/qJz7T9VHYT2KzyPwo9

Please note that 10,000 signatures are required if we wish the Government to respond.

Best regards
Jocelyn

Chair of UCML

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