1+2 languages policy: Findings from the 2024-25 survey of local authorities

1. Introduction

It is more crucial than ever for Scotland’s prosperity, and the prospects of its young people, that they are attracted to learning about other cultures and their languages at home and abroad. Becoming confident and competent in communicating with people from around the world will enable our leaners to become global citizens, well-equipped with the skills to thrive in the 21^st century.

To advance this ambition, the Scottish Government introduced a new languages policy known as the 1+2 approach to language learning in 2013. The main aim of the policy is entitling all children and young people to learn additional languages starting early in P1 and to the end of S3, providing all learners with a 10-year language learning experience.

According to the terms of the policy a first additional language, known as the L2, should be taught continuously from P1 through to the end of S3. The L2 must be a language that can be taught at National 5, Higher or Advanced Higher i.e. one of the following: Cantonese, French, Gaelic (Learners), German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Urdu.

A second additional language, known as the L3, should be taught in primary school no later than from P5, and in secondary school at some point during the Broad General Education (BGE). An L3 can be any language, including British Sign Language (BSL), Latin, Scots and community languages.

To gauge progress with implementation of the 1+2 policy in the BGE, it was agreed by the Association of Directors of Education Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Education Scotland and the Scottish Government that local authorities would provide regular information on language learning in their schools through a dedicated survey.

Surveys were taken annually until 2018-19, cancelled in 2019-20 due to the pandemic, and resumed in 2020-21 at a biennial tempo to reflect the change of pace in implementation and to acknowledge wider pressures on schools and local authorities. From the 2018-19 survey onwards, survey reports are published on the SG website, including the 2020-21 survey and 2022-23 survey.

This report summarises the findings of the survey covering the 2024-25 academic year.

Key findings

• 99% of primary schools provided an L2 entitlement, of which 81% offered “full” L2 entitlement from P1 to P7. Full entitlement rose from 68% in 2022-23.
• 98% of secondary schools offered an L2, of which 53% provided the “full” L2 entitlement from S1 to S3. Full entitlement declined from 70% in 2020-21.
• Both primary and secondary schools reported a decrease in the provision of the L3, although percentages remained high (72% primary and 83% secondary).
• Key challenges reported by schools in the delivery of 1+2 included teacher confidence, training and staff shortages and high turnover as well as more specific challenges for multi-composite classes or Gaelic Medium Education settings.
• Schools also reported a need for clearer progression pathways and support for embedding L2 across all years.

Despite these challenges, we note that the overall picture of implementation is positive, particularly in contrast to the approach to language learning in Scotland prior the introduction of 1+2, where it did not typically occur prior to P5.

In terms of individual languages:

• French continued to be the most widely taught L2 in both primary (82%) and secondary (83%) schools.
• Spanish was the most taught L3 in both sectors, though its share has slightly declined compared to the previous 2022-23 survey.
• BSL and Scots have continued to gain popularity as L3s in primary schools, behind Spanish but surpassing French for the first time.
• Mandarin also showed a continued increase in popularity.
• Special schools reported teaching additional languages including the provision of languages / communications systems such as BSL, Makaton, PECS, Signalong and various other Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems and technologies.
• Primary schools' answers suggest an increasing appetite for less traditionally taught languages such as BSL and Scots in particular for their L3s. In contrast to primary schools, languages offered as L3 in secondary schools are predominantly languages that can be taken at National Qualification level.
• Inclusion and community relevance also play a role, with schools choosing languages like BSL, Makaton, Arabic, and Ukrainian based on pupil needs and backgrounds.