Ofsted’s Curriculum research review for languages - what does this mean for language teachers, department leaders, curriculum design and professional development?

ABSTRACT

Ofsted's (2021) Curriculum research review for languages (OCRR) draws conclusion on what ‘high-quality language education’ may look like. This opinion piece problematises the status of these conclusions as ‘features’ or recommendations. Before delving into a selection of identified ‘features’ in more depth, the author highlights the complexity of curriculum design and the interdependence between school-based curriculum design and the intended and assessed curricula. This leads to a critical analysis of ‘may’ statements that directly impact on language teachers, leaders of languages and their approach to curriculum design and pedagogy. These include progress-orientated curriculum design, language assessment and testing (including dictation), communicative strategies, target language and culture through authentic materials as well as transition issues. Furthermore, the opinion piece explores the potential implications the OCRR and its recommendations may have on initial teacher education, early career development and continuous professional development for teachers and leaders. The think piece concludes by calling for a collaborative approach and joint ownership by all stakeholders rather than putting all responsibility on language teachers and language leaders.

Disclosure statement

The author is a trustee of the Association for Language Learning and chair of its Management Board.

Notes

1 The definitive French, German and Spanish GCSE Subject Content was published on January 14, 2022 (DfE 2022b). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gcse-french-german-and-spanish-subject-content

2 See, for instance, the response from Association for Language Learning at https://www.all-languages.org.uk/news/ofsted-curriculum-research-review-series-languages/ or Association of School and College Leaders ASCL comments on Ofsted research review on languages education or from a practitioner: The Nice Man Who Teaches Languages: Communication - Reviewing our Curriculum in the light of the Ofsted Research Review

3 See https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/SBA/HKDSE/Eng_DVD/doc/Afl_principles.pdf

4 The National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy (NCELP) is a government funded pilot to implement a languages hub programme. As part of its dissemination commitment, NCELP has developed a freely accessible resource portal (see: https://resources.ncelp.org/).

5 https://www.britishcouncil.org/school-resources/accreditation/international-school-award