Languages for All

Language learning is life enhancing and can bring social, economic, and cognitive opportunities and advantages for all learners. This section explores inclusion and language learning, relating to three, How are we doing? statements:

  • In line with our commitment to equity and inclusion, we fulfil entitlement to language learning for all and place the social, economic, and cognitive benefits of language learning at the heart of our planning.
  • We work with learners, families, and partners to develop an inclusive languages curriculum which responds effectively to learner needs and reflects our diverse communities.
  • We develop our practice to engage with language learning strategies which are differentiated and respond to learner needs.

Click on the links below to read more about key themes of Languages for all 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.

Languages for all

Research shows language learning to have broad cognitive and social benefits such as enhanced metalinguistic awareness and the development of skills in intercultural understanding. (Marsh & Hill, 2009).  Essex & MacAskill (2020) note that the social and cognitive benefits of language learning can enhance inclusion in schooling and society for pupils with additional learning needs. In line with an equitable and inclusive model of education, and regardless of what level of language will be achieved, it is thus key that all of our learners have the opportunity to develop the wider skills, competences and experiences which come with language learning. This principle of languages for all is reflected in the Broad General Education (BGE) entitlement to language learning between Primary 1 and Secondary 3. Education Scotland (2017, p. 1) note:

Learning at least one modern language is an entitlement for all learners, including those with Additional Support Needs (ASN), as part of the broad general education (BGE). The 1+2 policy reinforces this, with L2 an entitlement to the end of the BGE.

The commitment to languages for all is further reinforced by Education Scotland (2017) in response to questions around whether learners could be extracted from language learning for additional support.  Education Scotland (2017, p1) note:

All learners are entitled to language learning. Many teachers and learners report that literacy skills are improved through language learning. Pupils should not be extracted from MLs as a result of difficulties in developing literacy skills in particular.

The Languages Without Limits webpage provides a useful summary of the benefits of language learning for all learners.  Language teacher and researcher Hilary McColl notes:

    • All children are citizens of a plurilingual world. All have a right, and perhaps a responsibility, to learn about other cultures and to sample other languages.
    • All children need to learn to accept and value people from backgrounds different from their own. In our work we have met children who saw themselves as ‘different’ from those around them and who were comforted to learn of a wider world in which people could be different and valued.
    • Learning another language helps children to become more aware of their own. This awareness can lead to improvements in literacy across the curriculum. Research shows that bilingualism, even partial bilingualism, can have a beneficial effect on brain development.
    • It is another way for children with delayed skills development to revisit basic concepts and to learn social skills in a way that seems more interesting and grown up.
    • The experiences that accompany foreign language learning are life-enhancing, but the precise benefits for any specific child may be unpredictable. Who can say what benefits any child will gain from any particular experience? Who can deny any child the chance to enjoy those benefits, whatever they may be?
    • Experience has shown that, contrary to common expectations, all but a very few children can benefit from language learning, provided that the content offered and the methodologies employed are appropriate for their learning needs. So why not at least give it a try? It may be the only chance a child will get, and the decision can be reviewed later. Miss the chance when it comes, and the opportunity is lost, maybe for ever.
    • Over the last fifteen years or so we have encountered young people with all sorts of difficulties and disabilities successfully and happily learning a foreign language. Many of them in special schools and units where we might not have expected language learning to be part of the curriculum. We have also encountered young people who were struggling to learn and some – often in mainstream schools – who have become alienated. If some can do it, why can’t more be successful?

(McColl, 2016 )

Wight (2015) notes that historically there have been differing teacher, parent and even learner beliefs around the value of language learning for pupils with additional support needs, which have sometimes led to exemptions or exclusion from language learning for pupils. However, Wight (2015) underlines that such a practice denies pupils the opportunity to access the far-reaching cognitive and cultural benefits that language learning can bring to all learners, and notes that it is crucial that we provide language learning for all. Recent research into autism and bilingualism has found there to be:

an impressive diversity of experiences of language learning and variability in both proficiency and context of use [amongst autistic people]. Autistic bilinguals and multilinguals are not all linguistic savants, nor all raised in multilingual households. Many have learnt one or more second languages at school or independently, and use them with moderate proficiency, as non-autistic people do. In addition, through statistically robust analyses, we find evidence that proficiency in two or more languages is associated with better self-rated social quality of life for autistic people.

(Digard, B.G., et al, 2020)

Equity of opportunity and inclusion are defining principles of Scottish education.  This is reflected in a range of national guidance and policy including Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), the National Framework for Inclusion (2016) and the Interventions for Equity (2021). The language learning experience and the skills developed through language learning can have a positive impact on every learner and it is key that this is recognised when planning for learning and delivering. All learners have an entitlement to language learning, and we have a responsibility to deliver it.

Inclusive curriculum

Curriculum for Excellence is designed to be an inclusive curriculum which provides schools and practitioners with the flexibility required to plan according to specific learner needs. The Education Scotland Support For All webpage provides a range of guidance on inclusion, support (universal and targeted), personalised planning, protected characteristics and also provides key policy and practice papers.

Points for reflection on an inclusive languages curriculum at the BGE and beyond include:

  • Shared strategies and approaches to supporting specific learning needs e.g. whole school/stage approach to learning, clear school/department strategies for supporting dyslexic learners
  • Progressive pathways for all learners (See progression pathways section of this tool)
  • Differentiated learning and teaching approaches to meet the needs of all of our learners
  • Learning contexts and themes which provide opportunities to reflect upon diversity and inclusion
  • Learning resources which reflect diversity and inclusion
  • Engagement with families to develop effective and shared support models
  • Engagement with partners for support, resources, and professional learning
  • Ongoing engagement with learner voice to ensure learners feel represented within their learning and that their needs are being met

The CIRCLE Framework (Child Inclusion Research into Curriculum Learning Education) is a guidance framework designed to support self-evaluation of curriculum for inclusion.  This resource is available for both the primary and secondary sectors and the direct link is in the Resources section at the bottom of this page.

Strategies and resources for support

Strategies and resources for support are specific to individual learner needs and can be determined through personalised planning in partnership with learners, families, partners, and colleagues.  However, research and support resources are also available which can be helpful when considering possible approaches to support with particular needs. These are detailed below with links provided in the references and resources at the bottom of this page.

The SCILT Languages for all webpages offer a range of useful resources with languages specific support for particular needs.

Vivienne Wire’s 2005 article, “Autistic Spectrum Disorders and learning foreign languages” (see Resources) offers a comprehensive overview of helpful considerations for working with high functioning autistic learners or those diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.  These include:

    • Learners’ need for routine or where transitions and changes might be challenging. Developing strategies which respond to this and minimise disruption can support in this area.
    • Learners’ self-organisation and supporting this through teacher or peer-support, working with families etc.
    • Sensitivity to sensory input. Teachers can ensure support measures are in place (e.g. a quiet space learners can access, opt out strategies for noisy activities, listening activities undertaken individually with headphones)
    • Challenges with large classes, small learning spaces etc. Considering approaches which provide space can support in this area e.g. outdoor learning, having quiet, time-out spaces.   (Wire, 2005, P2 – P9)

 A range of research and resources on supporting learners with dyslexia is available via the Inclusive Practice in Language Teaching website (see Resources for link).  Via these pages, Margaret Crombie (formerly of the Open University) offers ten very helpful ‘Tips to help support dyslexic learners in Modern language classes’:

    1. ‘Always make learning as multisensory as you can – See it, Hear it, Say it, Write it, Type it, Draw it, Act it out!
    2. Visualise it!
    3. Explain fully, but concisely, and don’t be reluctant to repeat explanations. Use home language for explanations.
    4. Slow down speech until the student ‘catches on’ and fully understands, then speed up to natural speech.
    5. Provide key wordlists before teaching. It helps if students have heard the words before they are formally taught them. A card system (picture and words) + accompanying audio/video can be very useful.
    6. Make use of available technology – but do not assume these are a substitute for teaching. They do however give useful backup with potential for overlearning which dyslexic students need.
    7. Don’t ask student to read aloud or speak out in large group. Discuss with student how this can best be done, but a buddy can often be useful.
    8. Explain errors in written work orally. Often a pupil is disheartened by knowing they have made mistakes, and don’t bother to read the explanation given.
    9. Allow for the fact that most dyslexic students require more time to process information. This applies to speaking and listening as much as to reading and writing.
    10. Provide support and try to ensure the student feels comfortable enough to ask questions. Show understanding.’

Further to this, Crombie, Thomson and McColl (2004) also produced a useful and practical overview of multisensory approaches to foreign language learning (see Resources).  This includes advice on supporting dyslexic learners in a range of language learning activities such as speech, grammar, and language retention.

The Lancaster University massive open online course (MOOC) “Dyslexia and foreign language teaching” explores key considerations for supporting dyslexic learners including the multisensory approach and developing phonological and orthographic awareness in additional languages.

The blogger and teacher, Misspraxic, shares insights into learning and teaching languages with dyspraxia. The Dyspraxia Foundation also offer research and resources to support and inform teachers. The advice is designed for all teachers however, there is some particular information which is useful when considering language learning such as language and speech development.  The links for both of these sites are available in the Resources section below.

The researcher Hillary McColl’s website, Languages without limits, offers a comprehensive overview of resources and advice across a range of additional support needs.  This includes supporting visually impaired learners, deaf learners and gifted and talented learners. Please note that this website will be migrated across to Catriona Oates website, Inclusive Practice in Language Learning and the links for both sites are available in the resources section below.

British Sign Language (BSL)

An increasing numbers of primary schools are choosing British Sign Language (BSL) as an L3 option (Scottish Government, 2020). Communication systems such as Singalong and Makaton are both based on British Sign Language however, it should be noted that they are not complete languages but are rather signs which support word-based communication in English grammatical word order.  They are typically used to support learners with a broad range of additional support needs in Scottish schools. BSL, on the other hand, is a complete language with its own grammar, syntax and vocabulary and is therefore an eligible L3 within the 1+2 Languages policy.

The Scottish Government’s BSL National Plan 2017-23 sets out targets across all areas of life in Scotland with the overarching aim of making, “Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work and visit” (Scottish Government, 2017). In terms of education, the Plan states that the ‘long-term goal’ is that:

Children and young people who use BSL will get the support they need at all stages of their learning, so that they can reach their full potential; parents who use BSL will have the same opportunities as other parents to be fully involved in their child’s education; and more pupils will be able to learn BSL at school.

The BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 placed a requirement on all local authorities to develop a BSL plan which help to achieve the priorities of the BSL National Plan, such as the educational goal quoted above that ‘more pupils … learn BSL at school’. Through 1+2 languages planning, local authorities have developed models for the development of BSL as an L3 in schools including resources and professional learning. Practitioners can therefore refer to local authority models of support when planning and developing BSL in schools.

Nationally, a number of resources are available including:

  • Deaf-Action Scotland: BSL courses for adults and guidance and advice on supporting deaf learners
  • Education Scotland: Good practice guide for schools in working with deaf learners, their parents, and their families
  • SCILT: Case studies on developing BSL for all pupils in both primary (Moorfoot Primary) and secondary (Dingwall Academy) contexts

All links to resources mentioned are available in the Resources section at the bottom of this page.

How are we doing?

  • In line with our commitment to equity and inclusion, we fulfil entitlement to language learning for all and place the social, economic, and cognitive benefits of language learning at the heart of our planning.
  • We work with learners, families, and partners to develop an inclusive languages curriculum which responds effectively to learner needs and reflects our diverse communities.
  • We develop our practice to engage with language learning strategies which are differentiated and respond to learner needs.

Record your practice

Now you have researched the methodology and best practice in Languages for All 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.

Crombie, M., Thomson, M., McColl, H. (2004) BDA Conference March 2004: The Dividends from Research to Policy and Practice, Available at

Available at: https://languageswol.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/bdahandout.pdf

Crombie, M. SOME TIPS TO HELP SUPPORT DYSLEXIC LEARNERS IN MODERN LANGUAGE CLASSES, Available at:

Available at: https://languageswol.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/dxa2.pdf

Digard, B. G. et al. (2020) ‘Bilingualism in autism: Language learning profiles and social experiences’, Autism, 24(8), pp. 2166–2177

Dyspraxia Foundation (2021) Speech and Language , Available at:

Available at: https://dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk/about-dyspraxia/speech-language/

Education Scotland (2019) CIRCLE resource to support Inclusive Learning and Collaborative Working (Primary and Secondary), Available at:

Available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/circle-resource-to-support-inclusive-learning-and-collaborative-working/

Education Scotland (2017) 1+2 Languages Policy in the Secondary Sector, Available at:

Available at: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/documents/modlang7-faq-and-answers.pdf

Education Scotland (2021) Support for all , Available at:

Available at: https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/scottish-education-system/support-for-all/

Essex, J. & MacAskill, M.G. (2020) ‘Modern foreign language education for learners with additional support needs in Scotland.’ Support for Learning. 35:4, pp.441-453.

Inverclyde Council, Education Scotland, Moorfoot Primary, Garvald Deaf Centre (n.d.) Moorfoot Primary Case Study,: SCILT

Kinsman, M (2014) 'Introducing British Sign Language in a Scottish Secondary School', Scottish Languages Review , (28 ), pp. 1-12.

Marsh, D. and Hill, R. (2009) Study on the Contribution of Multilingualism to Creativity. Luxembourg: European Commission. Available at:

Available at: http://www.dylan-project.org/Dylan_en/news/assets/StudyMultilingualism_report_en.pdf

McColl, H. (2006) ‘Why teach languages to learners of all abilities?’ Languages without limits. Available at:

Available at: https://www.languageswithoutlimits.co.uk/why.html

Scottish Government (2017) British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan (2017 - 2023) , Edinburgh : Scottish Government

Scottish Government (2020) 1+2 Language Learning Survey Report , Edinburgh : Scottish Government

Wight, M.C. (2015) ‘Students with learning disabilities in the foreign language learning environment and the practice of exemption.’ Foreign Language Annals, 48:1, pp.39-55.

Wire, V. (2005) 'Autistic Spectrum Disorders and learning foreign language', Support for Learning, the British Journal of Learning Support, 20(3)

Wire, V. (2002) Learning a second language – everyone’s right, or not right for everyone?, Available at:

Available at: https://incpill.com/vivienne-wires-dissertation/

Inclusion policy and guidance

The Convention has 54 articles that cover all aspects of a child’s life and set out the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. It also explains how adults and governments must work together to make sure all children can enjoy all their rights.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Education Scotland’s inclusion webpages with a comprehensive overview of national policy (e.g. GIRFEC), support resources and key considerations for practitioners.

Education Scotland Support for All

The Child Inclusion Research into Curriculum Learning Education (CIRCLE) resource is designed to provide both secondary and primary schools with an overview of key considerations for inclusive planning and support.

Education Scotland CIRCLE resource

Support Resources

MOOC hosted by Lancaster University, exploring how best to support dyslexic learners in the languages classroom.

MOOC - Dyslexia and Foreign Language Teaching

Blog hosted by Catriona Oates (University of West of Scotland) which offers an excellent range of language and need specific support resources and advice for practitioners.

Inclusive Practice in Language Learning

Website hosted by Hilary McColl (formerly of the Open University) and with an extensive range of need specific support resources for languages learning and teaching. This website is being merged across to the Inclusive Practice in Language Learning site but at time of writing (2021), it is still active and with a huge range of practical and helpful resources.

Language without limits

Comprehensive and helpful overview of languages specific support resources for inclusion.

SCILT Languages for All

British Sign Language (BSL)

Scottish Government plan setting out actions to ensure deaf and deafblind BSL users are fully involved in all aspects of daily and public life.

British Sign Language (BSL) National Plan (2017 – 2023)

Charity supporting deaf and hard of hearing people across Scotland. Deaf Action offer BSL learning opportunities and support guidance for schools.

Deaf Action Scotland

This professional learning resource is built around the films 'Working with deaf learners and their families' created by schools working with deaf learners and deaf parents. It shares advice and examples of good practice for practitioners about how to engage more effectively with British Sign Language users.

Good Practice in working with deaf learners, their parents and families - British Sign Language (BSL) Plan

The British Sign Language Award at SCQF level 3 has been designed to appeal to both hearing and deaf learners. This Award will help learners to develop their language skills and enable them to communicate with British Sign Language (BSL) users in various contexts. Learners will also develop their understanding of how sign languages work, and how they differ from spoken and written languages.

Award in British Sign Language SCQF level 3

Support resources, exemplification on integrating languages and links to external support sites.

Primary Languages Resources

Comprehensive case study of how a primary school in Invercylde have developed BSL from nursery onwards.

Moorfoot Primary Case Study

Case study of the development of BSL at secondary level (BGE and SQA) by Margaret Kinsman (Dingwall Academy), published in the Scottish Languages Review.

Introducing British Sign Language in a Scottish Secondary School