Uptake in the Senior Phase

The Senior Phase is the culmination of young people’s language learning to that point, bringing opportunities for accreditation and to deepen and enrich learning.  A decline in the number of learners continuing to the Senior Phase has, however, emerged in recent years as a critical issue for language learning in Scotland.

This section explores key considerations and possible solutions relating to Uptake in the Senior Phase and in relation to the following three, How are we doing? self-evaluation statements:

  • We take a strategic, integrated approach to improving uptake and outcomes for young people, working in partnership with a range of stakeholders and partners including senior leaders, learners, and families.
  • Learner experience is at the heart of our strategic planning, and we aim to ensure that learning is meaningful, authentic, motivating, and relevant and that we inspire our learners through our passion for, and belief in, our subject.
  • We work in partnership with others to explore and share practice and to develop innovative approaches to language learning and teaching.

Click on the links below to read more about the key themes of the Uptake in the Senior Phase and then use the How are we doing? statements to reflect on your current practice and explore your next steps.  Further reading and resources are also provided at the bottom of this page.

Finally, watch the video below to learn how practitioners have engaged with this TILE.

The national context Improving uptake Strategic approaches Sharing practice

The national context

Languages uptake data is tracked by SCILT and published in their Language Trends Scotland Report on an annual basis. These reports show an overall reduction in the number of learners taking languages at a level below Higher since 2012 with a 64% decline in French and a 65% decline in German. Spanish has seen a slight increase of 7.6% over this same period. Chinese languages (Mandarin simple and traditional) have dropped slightly in 2018 and 2019 but had been on an upward trend previous to this. Italian fluctuates year on year but taken as an average over 3 years (2017, 2018 and 2019), there has been a 54% drop since 2012. Gaelic Learners has declined by 58% since 2012. (SCILT, 2019, P12-13).  However, overall, numbers for languages Highers have stayed stable over the 2012 to 2019 period (though greater numbers of pupils are taking Spanish and Mandarin, and fewer are taking French and German over that period).  Numbers taking Advanced Highers have increased 22% over this period.  (SCILT, 2019, P6-P7).

This overall decrease in the numbers of learners progressing to accreditation in languages (at National 4/5) is partly due to curricular changes which have resulted in learners making fewer choices for accreditation in S4. This is a broader, national issue which, as noted in the OECD Independent Review of Curriculum for Excellence 2020-2021:

Where the curriculum narrows to five or six subjects in S4, there can be challenges for learners who wish to undertake a broad suite of qualifications in traditional subject areas, such as mathematics, English, sciences, social sciences, arts and languages. It was the view of the Committee that … the opportunity to retain a breadth of learning throughout secondary school and to gain a broad set of qualifications at S4 are … in danger of being lost. (OECD, 2021, P66)

The debate around the structure of the curriculum and the associated impact on uptake for a range of curricular areas is ongoing and requires continued engagement with key stakeholders including teachers and learners. Fundamentally, curriculum structures which do not facilitate and encourage learners to choose languages create a barrier to progression.

If, however, within our own school contexts, young people are choosing not to continue in significant numbers, then it requires us to reflect on the wider reasons why, across a range of measures including curriculum, pathways, learner experience in the BGE and relevance of learning.  Regardless of the curricular model in place, it is key that we understand the experience of language learning for our young people and ensure that it is high-quality, engaging, and relevant to their lives and future needs. Language learning should also support the development of a range of skills which learners value and can reflect upon.

Understanding your context

Some key questions for reflection when beginning to look at uptake include:

  • What percentage of our learners are choosing to continue with language learning into the Senior Phase?
  • Is uptake of languages broadly spread across all levels of accreditation e.g. National 4, National 5? If not, why are certain groups not continuing?
  • Is uptake of languages generally consistent across languages?  If not, what are the reasons behind this? E.g. Are learners more culturally engaged in one language or another?  What can practitioners do to counter and improve this?
  • Do learners see language learning as being relevant to their futures? Are they aware of the breadth of skills being developed through language learning?
  • Do they enjoy their learning? If not, why not? Which aspects of learning do they find the most rewarding/positive?
  • How do learners’ experiences of languages in the secondary school part of the BGE compare with their experiences in primary? From the learners’ perspectives, do they feel like their language learning has been progressive within the BGE?
  • Do learners feel motivated in their learning?
  • Do timetabling arrangements support continuity in language learning?
  • Do learners have the choice to continue learning all BGE languages into the Senior Phase? Can they combine languages easily with other subjects?
  • Do learners have the choice of more than one language?
  • Are families supportive of continuing with language learning? If not, what measures can be developed to support improvement in this area?
  • Are key messages about the benefits of language learning shared across key teams including guidance/pupil support staff and senior leaders?
  • What are our measurable targets in terms of uptake?  For example, are we aiming for a percentage of a year group to continue into the Senior Phase?  What measures can we implement to drive this targeted improvement?

Improving uptake

The following key aspects of practice enable and encourage uptake of languages into the Senior Phase:

  1. Leadership at all levels which is underpinned by a shared understanding of the value of language learning, fulfils BGE entitlements, and supports and encourages the development of languages for all.
  2. Learner experience in the BGE: that learners are engaged in their language learning, are motivated to learn, consider it relevant to their lives and enjoy their learning.
  3. Curriculum: a curriculum model which enables depth of learning, progression, and meaningful learning (including inter-cultural opportunities).
  4. Progression pathways: pathways to accreditation in all languages, delivered in school or in partnership with other schools and organisations e.g. SCILT or E Sgoil.
  5. Timetabling: A supportive approach to timetabling which enables choices of learning in more than one language.

Each of these aspects of planning plays a part in sustaining or improving uptake in languages. They involve a range of stakeholders (senior leaders, Modern languages leaders and practitioners, learners, guidance/pupil support, and families) and so require a collaborative approach to identify issues and to develop planning and practice in response. Working across the five aspects is key. For example, improvement in learner experience throughout the BGE aslo requires supportive timetabling in order to have a positive impact upon uptake.

Although all five aspects of practice are important to uptake in the Senior Phase, learner experience in the BGE is key. If learners do not enjoy their learning, are demotivated, do not feel like they are progressing and do not see the relevance of languages, they are highly unlikely to continue their learning into the Senior Phase.  This is reflected in the Scottish Government STEM and language choices survey 2017 which found that the most popular reason for learners choosing languages in the Senior Phase was that they enjoy it (Scottish Government, 2017, P2).

The same report also noted a drop off in learner interest in studying a language between S1 and S3, with 25% of S1 pupils reporting that they were not intending to choose to study a language, compared with 43% of S3 pupils. This points to a need for schools to analyse learner experience and engagement throughout the BGE, including from primary. If there is a significant shift in learner attitude over the course of the BGE, then learner voice will play a key role in understanding why this is.

Some key questions around the BGE curriculum for schools when considering Senior Phase uptake include:

  • Do we have a shared vision, a coherent curriculum rationale, and a continuous curriculum model which is developed progressively from primary onwards?
  • Does the structure of our curriculum support depth of learning and development of engaging and meaningful learning experiences? Do we have sufficient time to achieve this?
  • Do our curriculum and learning contexts provide rich, relevant, and meaningful learning experiences for young people?
  • Do we engage in meaningful learner voice activities to understand learner experience throughout the BGE? Do we use this to inform improvement? Is there a measured improvement as a result or our interventions?
  • Are learners engaged in meaning, progressive language learning pathways and can they see the trajectory of their own learning?
  • Are wider skills (e.g. employability skills, communication skills, transferable language skills, interpersonal skills) embedded aspects of planning and development? Do our learners understand and reflect upon the wide range of skills they are developing through languages?

One further consideration is learner self-efficacy.  Learners often report that they find languages to be “too difficult” and that they are not achieving. This is ultimately demotivating and can lead to learners thinking that language learning is not a skill which is relevant to them. Having a sense of progression and achievement are key in countering this. Where we treat the development of learner self-efficacy as a critical skill for language learning, and embed this into our learning intentions and success criteria, we can support learners to engage with challenges more readily and to develop a sense of progression and achievement. Please see the Self-Efficacy and Progression sections of this tool for further guidance in these areas. (See Associated Sections at the bottom of this page for the links to these areas of this tool).

Other key areas of this tool which can help inform Improving uptake in the Senior Phase include Relevance, Secondary BGE, Motivation and Employability. The links to these sections are references in Associated Sections at the bottom of this page.

Strategic approaches

By formulating a strategic plan, schools can explore the key issues in their own context and develop possible solutions. The strategic framework below is scaffolded around the HGIOS4 self-evaluation tool, with its inwards, outwards, forwards approach (Education Scotland, 2016, P9).

Look inwards

 
  • Understand the data:  How many learners are choosing languages and at what level (e.g. National 4, Nat5 etc.)? Which languages are they choosing and why? Are specific groups of learners more likely to choose languages (e.g. boys or girls)?
  • Understand what sits behind the data: Engage in learner voice activities to understand learner experience, relevance, and motivation throughout the BGE
  • Analysis of languages BGE curriculum model:  does our BGE provide progressive pathways and clear routes to accreditation? Does it provide depth of learning? Is there sufficient time allocation as to develop meaningful learning? What does this look like over two languages?
  • Analysis of curriculum choices at the end of the BGE: Do current curriculum models enable learners to continue with a language/ languages or is this choice challenged by limited options? Are languages offered in a way which enable choice e.g. more than one option column?
Look outwards

 
  • Engage in professional research, read exemplars from other schools, use Education Scotland improving uptake resources (see Resources)
  • Visit other schools, meet with colleagues, and share practice in learning and teaching, curriculum design, BGE planning and timetabling
  • Engage with local authority officers for advice, support, and analysis of current practice
  • Explore national resources for support and guidance e.g. SCILT Senior Phase resources
Look forwards

 
  • Develop and implement strategies, informed by sharing practice and in partnership with colleagues and learners
  • Enable learner participation activities e.g. language ambassadors
  • Consider communications e.g. key messages, how these are shared throughout your learning community including with families, social media, celebrating practice etc.
  • Engage with learner voice as ongoing
  • Track and monitor improvement over time

Working in partnership with senior leaders, local authority leads, and other school partners will provide a support framework which enables and accelerates improvement. This is particularly true where a Modern languages department has reduced over time and is in a position with very few teaching staff.  Where this is the case, working in partnership across schools and seeking support from local authority officers can help the process of building back provision.

Sharing practice

There are many examples of schools across Scotland where uptake of languages beyond S3 has remained high and with large numbers of pupils opting to continue to accreditation.  Examples in practice are available via the Education Scotland guidance resource: Improving uptake in modern languages in the Senior Phase (see Resources). Further to this, the article Pedagogy and Curriculum for Excellence: Finding the Opportunities offers a comprehensive overview of a Glasgow school’s approach to improving language learner experience and increasing uptake (Whyte, 2018).

The following example was provided by one of the practitioners involved in the present TILES project and comes from the work they have done in an Edinburgh secondary school to improve uptake in the Senior Phase.

What are you aiming for? 

Build self-efficacy, skills and confidence in language learners so that they are motivated to continue their language learning beyond the BGE

Why?

Better outcomes for young people, students making better-informed decisions about their course pathways, motivated students who attain well in Senior Phase and are motivated about language learning equals:

  • More students studying languages in Senior Phase, more teachers in employment in schools, more students going on to study languages in higher/further education…
  • More graduates qualified to teach languages in primary and secondary…
  • More motivated students in BGE

How?

Start from the basis that improving uptake cannot be achieved by getting guest speakers to talk about “the importance of languages”. If you cannot sell it in 3 years, then a guest speaker is not going to do it in 15 minutes in a carousel activity, for example…

We have to build skills, motivation, and self-efficacy so that choosing a language is wanted, logical and the norm.

What would you consider to be key features of excellent practice?

  • Engaging lessons with an emphasis on speaking and listening (the two most important skills of communication). No vocabulary learning/tests. No copying of vocabulary. Instead, ‘flood’ lessons with the structures we want students to know and use. Provide extensive modelling of this and opportunities to use the language in low-stakes activities in class. Ultimately, make the key structures so prominent that they can’t not learn them.
  • Provide regular formative and summative assessment opportunities with feedback on skills development. Build students’ awareness of their progress in each skill and build their confidence.
  • Contact home when things go well – positive postcards, phone calls, emails – make it clear that this is a department where good things happen.
  • Enthusiastic and motivated teachers with a passion for the subject are key, but so are high standards and an absolutely clear understanding of what success looks like at all levels. Build confidence in students that you know exactly what are doing – marking for SQA, knowledge of statistics, exam results, past cohorts, etc.
  • Increase motivation by having lessons with high level of pace – short, sharp activities – use games a lot to embed vocabulary and provide competition. Use films for motivation and relevance – don’t ruin it by doing a huge unit of work and/or test on the film.
  • Relate current learning to future learning – how is what we are doing now relevant to what we will be doing the future? S1-3 content = the basis of success at N5 level.
  • Using S6 languages ambassadors as effective role models of successful language learners (in support class in S1-3) – planting the seed early that a lot of students study languages in Senior Phase in this school.
  • Target the reason why parents want students to do certain subjects – exam results. Promote these – display in corridors, dept website, Twitter, share examples of pass rates/success stories with classes = show that it can and almost always is done.
  • Promote everything that is going on the department using Twitter, weekly update, HT newsletter, school website, parent council.
  • Excellent exam results and all of the above should build the case with SLT for a supportive curricular model/course pathways which provide space for languages.
  • Schools should be supportive of languages – attainment remains comparatively high in all languages at SCQF levels 5-7 and schools should recognise this and provide the conditions for students to choose languages in Senior Phase.
  • Focus on improving uptake by improving what we do in the classroom and the impact that has on young people and their confidence and self-efficacy. 

(McCulloch, 2019)

These examples of good practice include a commitment to providing learners with authentic and meaningful experiences of the language throughout the BGE and into the Senior Phase.  By focussing our strategies on motivating and engaging young people through relevant contexts and learning experiences, we have the opportunity to inspire them to continue in their learning. Our biggest asset is ourselves and our passion for our subject and putting this at the heart of planning is key if we are to inspire others.

How are we doing?

  • We take a strategic, integrated approach to improving uptake and outcomes for young people, working in partnership with a range of stakeholders and partners including senior leaders, learners, and families.
  • Learner experience is at the heart of our strategic planning, and we aim to ensure that learning is meaningful, authentic, motivating, and relevant and that we inspire our learners through our passion for, and belief in, our subject.
  • We work in partnership with others to explore and share practice and to develop innovative approaches to language learning and teaching.

Record your practice

Now you have researched the methodology and best practice in Uptake in the Senior Phase it's time to record how you are doing. Download the interactive/printable PDF file which you can fill in digitally (or manually if you prefer) for your records and CPD.

Download the Uptake in the Senior Phase self-evaluation PDF (199 KB)

The Senior Phase

Exemplification of approaches taken by schools in promoting languages and uptake. Includes videos of professional dialogue around uptake with practical advice on how to plan and support improvement.

Education Scotland: Improving Uptake in the Senior Phase

SCILT’s resource hub for Senior Phase planning and improvement. Includes a range of exemplar curriculum maps from schools across Scotland, case studies and links to SQA qualifications.

SCILT Senior Phase resources

SCILT’s resource hub for promotion of uptake in the Senior Phase. Includes Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce resources, case studies, and toolkits for planning.

SCILT: Promoting Uptake in the Senior Phase

Self-Evaluation Frameworks

This document is a key aspect of the Scottish approach to school improvement. The framework is designed to be used to support self-evaluation and reflection by practitioners at all levels.

Education Scotland (2015) How Good is Our School: 4th Edition

How good is OUR school? has been developed to support learner participation in school self-evaluation. The resource includes guidance for school staff and partners to support them to ensure the culture and ethos of their school promotes and underpins effective learner participation. It also contains a framework built around five themes that children and young people told us were important for them to have a say in.

Education Scotland (2018) How Good is OUR School Part 1

How good is OUR school? has been developed to support learner participation in school self-evaluation. The resource includes guidance for school staff and partners to support them to ensure the culture and ethos of their school promotes and underpins effective learner participation. It also contains a framework built around five themes that children and young people told us were important for them to have a say in.

Education Scotland (2018) How Good is OUR School Part 2

The National Framework for Languages (Initial Teacher Education) has been adopted by all Scottish universities which offer initial teacher education programmes. It sets out guidance and support for the integration of languages into ITE programmes and the school curriculum and was funded by a group of Scottish local authorities. The NFfL is linked to the GTC(S) Standards for Registration and CLPL. The website offers three resources: the framework itself which is a useful point of reference for early career professional learning; a tool for developing a language portfolio for pupils of all ages and stages (LEAP) and a resource of recent studies in the different elements of language learning and teaching which are at the core of this toolkit. Teachers will find this a useful resource for both their own professional learning and for supporting student teachers in their schools. It is based on a values-driven, skills -based professional profile which is supported by the GTCS and teacher competences.

The National Framework for Languages (Initial Teacher Education)

The tool supports Confucius Classroom staff and schools to reflect upon their practice and evaluate the overall impact of the Confucius Classroom Hub.

Self-evaluation for self-improvement in Confucius classroom hubs in Scotland

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