Languages have an “excellent foundation” to build on in Scottish schools, despite concerns in recent years about their future, a report suggests.
The British Council Scotland said year-on-year increases in the number of secondary students sitting Highers in Spanish, French and German in 2025 were “very positive”.
Spanish entries rose to 3,170 in 2025 from 3,035 in 2024; French to 2,340 from 2,300; and German to 600 from 550.
While the overall rise for the three subjects is relatively modest, they offer signs of hope against the prevailing narrative of decline in recent years.
Meanwhile, 99 per cent of primaries who took part in the research were teaching languages in the 2025-26 school year.
Favourable comparison to rest of UK
Overall, British Council Scotland said that “in comparison to the other UK nations, there is an excellent foundation on which to build”, and that the “right funding” could help ensure that “the opportunities for the future are boundless”.
But while there was an increase in students sitting Spanish, French and German Highers, the research found this growth was from a low base. Higher entries were 16 per cent below pre-pandemic levels (6,110 in 2025, compared with 7,255 in 2019).
Advanced Higher entries were down by a quarter over the same period, from 1,200 in 2019 to 895 in 2025.
Last year did see a “moderate increase” in students studying French below Higher level (combining numbers from National 2 to National 5), from 9,315 in 2024 to 9,620 in 2025, with a “substantial increase” recorded in Spanish, from 9,760 to 10,205.
However, the research by Queen’s University Belfast finds that, at this level, the numbers studying German had declined - from 2,305 in 2024 to 2,105 in 2025.
Languages ‘not run’ due to low learner numbers
The research also shows that an increased proportion of the 114 secondary schools that took part in the research said “classes simply will not run if there are not enough learners”. This is the case in 59 per cent of high schools this year, up from 52 per cent in 2024-25.
Schools in less deprived areas are “more likely to keep language classes running regardless of learner numbers”, adds the report.
Meanwhile, less than a third of schools offer students German at National 5 level, most of which are in areas with “a more affluent socioeconomic profile”.
In 2025-26, more schools were found to be using online learning for Higher or Advanced Higher language classes. Fewer schools are “reporting that they deliver languages wholly in their school”, with 58 per cent providing all teaching in school, down from 66 per cent the previous year.
“Challenges and barriers remain that dissuade learners from studying a language,” the report states, adding that about a third of secondaries surveyed “reported that learners do not see the relevance of languages for their future career”.
Of the 169 primaries surveyed, the study shows that “just over 40 per cent of responding schools recorded that their classroom teachers have no language qualifications of any kind”.
And some 93 per cent of primary schools said languages were “taught primarily by the classroom teacher”, although only 13 per cent had a specialist language teacher in the school.
Confidence a ‘barrier’ in primaries
In primaries, “above all, time and confidence were the most important barriers”, with the report saying schools mentioned teacher confidence as an issue 67 times, with the lack of time allocated to language teaching mentioned 53 times.
But the report states: “All teachers with whom we came into contact have a shared commitment and ambition to continually improve language learning.
“In comparison to the other UK nations, there is an excellent foundation on which to build; with the right funding and progression pathways, the opportunities for the future are boundless.”
Claire de Braekeleer, director of the British Council Scotland, said: “At a time of global uncertainty, language skills are not a luxury; they are an essential. Learning a language opens doors, builds bridges and fosters the kind of cultural understanding that our world urgently needs.
“This report shows we have strong foundations in Scotland to build on.”
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “While the delivery of language learning in schools is ultimately the responsibility of local authorities, the Scottish government has invested over £50 million in support of our ambitious 1+2 languages policy since 2013.
“This is in addition to the £186.5 million provided to local authorities this year to protect and restore teacher numbers, and our teaching bursary scheme, which provides £15,000 to career changers undertaking a [postgraduate teaching] PGDE in a number of subjects, including modern languages.”
The spokesperson added: “The 2025 SQA exam data shows that pass rates for languages at senior phase are consistently above the national average and entries at National 5 and Higher have improved over the past two years.”
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