Languages, Society and Policy

lspjournal.comNigeria’s new English-only language policy ignores classroom and social realitiesIn this opinion article, Chinazor Nwoda and Kingsley Ugwuanyi examine Nigeria’s recent decision to adopt English as the sole language of instruction across all levels of education. They argue that the...

🌍 Can an English-only education policy work in a country with over 500 languages? In their new @LSP article, Chinazor Nwoda and Kingsley Ugwuanyi argue that Nigeria needs a more inclusive approach that reflects multilingual classroom realities. www.lspjournal.com/post/nigeria...

lspjournal.comCall for Special Collection on AI and Language EducationLanguages, Society and Policy (LSP) is an open access online journal publishing high-quality peer-reviewed language research that addresses issues concerning languages, cultures, and societies in acce...

We are still welcoming submissions for the LSP Special Collection on AI and Language Education. 📅 New abstract deadline: 30 October 2026 Full call 👇 www.lspjournal.com/post/call-fo...

22 Sept

📢 Still time to submit! LSP invites research-informed policy papers for our Special Collection on AI and Language Education. 📅 Abstract deadline: 28 September Full call 👇 www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...

4 Sept

📢 Call for Papers | AI and Language Education LSP invites research-informed policy papers for a Special Collection on the opportunities, challenges & wider implications of AI for language education. 📅 Abstract deadline: 28 September 2026 Full Call for Papers 👇 www.lspjournal.com/post/call-fo...

lspjournal.comPromote society’s pragmatic competence in AAC for inclusivity of People with a Learning DisabilityIn this opinion article, Naomi Umeda addresses society’s inadequate pragmatic competence in Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC). She suggests ways to reduce the resulting insufficient com...

26 Aug

What if the communication barrier is not the person, but the environment around them? In this new opinion piece, Naomi Umeda argues that genuine inclusion requires greater societal competence in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). www.lspjournal.com/post/promote...

lspjournal.comLanguage Teacher Recruitment and Retention in England’s Schools: Practitioner perspectivesIn this policy paper, Ann-Marie Hunter and Zhu Hua draw on practitioners' perspectives to show that language teacher recruitment and retention challenges differ across school contexts. They argue for ...

New research by Ann-Marie Hunter & Zhu Hua: England's language teachers are in short supply; and it's not just a numbers problem. Schools get an average of just 3.6 applicants per language teacher post (some get only 1). 🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/languag... 🧵 What practitioners told us:

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#4 Location & reputation matter hugely. Rural/less-favoured schools face compounding disadvantage: a "vicious circle" the British Academy has flagged before. German teachers are in especially short supply.

#5 Recommendations for @educationgovuk: ▪ Reform visa pathways for overseas MFL teachers ▪ Retention payments for languages (like STEM already gets) ▪ Protect PGCE language pathways from closure ▪ Support school-to-school networks for hard-to-staff schools

#2 80%+ of schools report difficulty recruiting language teachers. 64% say it's harder to recruit for languages than other subjects. Main causes: fewer language grads, visa barriers for overseas teachers, and recent bursary withdrawals for international trainees.

#3 Retention tells a different story: 52% of schools have little/no difficulty keeping language teachers. Where retention struggles exist, they're often about general workload pressures, not languages specifically. 📌 Recruitment ≠ retention. Policy should treat them separately.

lspjournal.comBursary withdrawal as evidence of interest convergence: Race and the recruitment of Black African international language teachersIn this opinion piece, Lisa Panford argues that recent policy changes reveal the conditional nature of inclusion in teacher recruitment. African international trainees are welcomed to address shortage...

14 June

How do seemingly race-neutral policies shape access to the teaching profession? Lisa Panford examines the impact of recent bursary changes on Black African international language teachers in the UK. Read full article here: www.lspjournal.com/post/bursary...

Languages, Society and Policy reposted

Dr Leanne Henderson

@leannehenderson.bsky.social

9 July 2025

Replying to @leannehenderson.bsky.social

As LSP Co-Editors, @emhumps.bsky.social and I want to thank you all for reading and engaging with this Special Collection. Catch up with all the pieces here: www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...

lspjournal.comLanguages in UK Education: introductionWendy Ayres-Bennett and Charles Forsdick | 26th November 2024 | Policy Collection Introduction: statutory contexts across the UKThe substantial differences between England and the three devolved admin...

22 Oct 2025

This upcoming event might be of interest to colleagues working on hate speech and AI research.

Petre Breazu@petrebreazu.bsky.social

What happens when AI fails to see hate? Join us at Trinity College, Cambridge on 6 November to find out. Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/critical-f...

lspjournal.comLANGUAGES, SOCIETY AND POLICY - HOME | LSPLanguages, Society and Policy

9 July 2025

✨ The Languages in UK Education special issue is now complete! Many thanks to our guest editors @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social for compiling this important collection, and to every contributor for sharing bold ideas to shape language education policy. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com

lspjournal.comHow can we move from cold spots to hot spots? Learning from current practices which nurture languages education in the four nations of the United KingdomJo Biddle and Jane Andrews | 9th July 2025 | Opinion PieceIn this opinion piece, Jo Biddle and Jane Andrews consider a small set of examples of close-to-practice research from the four nations of the ...

9 July 2025

How can we turn the UK’s 'cold spots' for language learning into 'hot spots?' 🔥📚 J. Biddle & J. Andrews highlight practical grassroots projects across the UK that show what works: @wendya-b.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social www.lspjournal.com/post/how-can...

lspjournal.comThink Like a Linguist: Community and collaboration for a new languages curriculumIn this article, Charlotte Ryland reflects on how the learning from creative translation and languages advocacy projects can feed into languages curriculum reform. By focusing in particular on the lin...

25 June 2025

What does it really mean to think like a linguist? Charlotte Ryland argues it's time to move beyond grammar drills and embrace creativity, culture, and collaboration in language education. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/think-l... ✍️ Collection Edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social

lspjournal.comThe Power of Stories in the Languages ClassroomJonathan McBride | 11th June 2025 | Opinion Piece In this article, Edinburgh-based languages teacher Jonathan McBride argues that stories have the potential to transform modern languages teaching at a...

11 June 2025

💬 What if stories—not grammar drills—were the key to unlocking language learning? Jonathan McBride explores how storytelling can transform language lessons, boost motivation, & help every learner succeed. 📚✨ @wendya-b.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/the-pow...

lspjournal.comBridging the Key Stage 2/3 transition gap: Taking primary languages seriouslyRowena Kasprowicz | 4th June 2025 | Opinion ArticlesIn the following opinion article, Rowena Kasprowicz explores emerging research evidence demonstrating that, with the right conditions, linguistic pr...

❓Why do so many pupils 'start over' with languages when they reach secondary school? ✏️ In this opinion article, Rowena Kasprowicz calls for practical steps to fix the transition gap—and take primary language learning seriously. 🧵 Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/bridgin...

✍️ Part of our series edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social

lspjournal.com‘Language capital’: reframing formal language-learning in Scotland.Fiona Barclay | 3rd June 2025 | Opinion PieceIn this article, Fiona Barclay considers the longstanding deficit in the social value associated with languages. She argues that this deficit has contribut...

🗣️ Why are fewer students in Scotland choosing languages—even with strong government backing? @fionabarclay.bsky.social explores how a lack of “language capital” shapes public perceptions, gendered choices, & declining uptake—and proposes 3 steps for change. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...

✍️ In our latest Languages in UK Education collection edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social and @cforsdick.bsky.social

lspjournal.comlspjournal.com

💬 What can primary school French and Spanish teachers learn from Irish-Medium classrooms? Thomas Rogan explores how immersion-style techniques used in Irish-Medium Education could transform modern foreign language teaching in mainstream primary schools. 📖: www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...

✍️ Series edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social

lspjournal.comTowards Language Education Excellence in Northern Ireland’s Primary SchoolsSharon Jones | 28th May 2025 | Opinion PieceIn this opinion piece, Sharon Jones, drawing on her teaching and research in languages and education, reflects on the potential of broadening access to the ...

❓What if every child in Northern Ireland had the chance to learn another language in primary school? Sharon Jones explores how language education can boost wellbeing, creativity, and connection in a post-conflict society—and why it's time to make it a priority. www.lspjournal.com/post/towards...

✍️ Series edited by Wendy Ayres-Bennett & Charles Forsdick.

lspjournal.comInternational experiences for allVicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch | 21st May 2025 | Opinion Piece In this article, Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch, drawing on their professional engagements with key stakeholders, argue that th...

21 May 2025

🌍 What happens when international exchanges vanish from schools and universities? Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch argue for restoring international experiences to the heart of language learning—for all learners, not just a privileged few. www.lspjournal.com/post/interna...

21 May 2025

✍️ Featured in our Languages in UK Education collection, edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social

lspjournal.comNew Curriculum, New Languages Education? How International Languages Education is Changing in WalesIn the following opinion article, Claire Gorrara and Lucy Jenkins explore how the Curriculum for Wales represents a radical shift in language education, embedding International Languages into the core...

15 May 2025

📚 What if a bilingual nation like Wales rewrote its curriculum to rethink language education? 💬 Can International Languages thrive in a learner-led system? Read the piece by @clairegorrara.bsky.social & Lucy Jenkins, part of our Languages in UK Education series: www.lspjournal.com/post/new-cur...

lspjournal.comLANGUAGES, SOCIETY AND POLICY - HOME | LSPLanguages, Society and Policy

15 May 2025

✍️ Part of our Languages and Education series, edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social www.lspjournal.com

lspjournal.comRethinking the Purpose of Language EducationSuzanne Graham and Alison Porter | 14th May 2025 | Opinion PieceIn the following opinion article Suzanne Graham and Alison Porter argue that primary language education needs a more meaningful and cohe...

13 May 2025

🧠💬 What if primary language lessons weren’t just about grammar—but also about empathy, creativity, and global awareness? In a new Languages in UK Education piece, @suzannegraham.bsky.social and Alison Porter rethink the purpose of early language learning.📖 : www.lspjournal.com/post/rethink...

lspjournal.comThe Recruitment and Retention of Languages Teachers of Colour from the Global South in EnglandIn the following opinion article Lisa Panford finds that urgent intervention is needed to address the conditions into which languages teachers of Colour from the Global South are inducted. Further, th...

7 May 2025

✊🏾 New in our Languages in UK Education series: Lisa Panford explores how England’s language teacher shortages are being filled by educators from the Global South—without adequate anti-racist support. We need ethical recruitment and retention. Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/the-rec...

7 May 2025

📘 New from Languages in UK Education series 👇 Can students keep learning languages after GCSE—without a full A-level? Neil Kenny proposes a practical, flexible Level 3 ‘Applied Languages’ certificate. Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/time-fo...