UCML Member organisations survey 2018 Professor Claire Gorrara 18 January 2019

Context: nomination of new Chair of UCML in July 2018 Need: to gauge views of the member organisations on UCML’s mission and activities to plan for the next 18 months to 2 years Purpose: to drive priorities and to support a UCML action plan Respondent group: sent to 67 member organisations on mailing list, plus Routes into Languages networks and AHRC relevant networks Window for response: 16 September to 15 October 2018 Context and Purpose

Survey Design Three questions, plus free text comment box. Questions: What are the priority issues for the modern languages community that you think UCML should address over the coming 18 months to 2 years? What are the priority issues for modern languages for you as an organisation/network/university/devolved nation? What are your suggestions for positive actions or developments that could support modern languages across the UK Number of responses: 24; response rate: 36% Type of respondent: 7 universities; 8 networks; 8 subject associations; 1 schools sector Survey Design

Public understandings of languages; need to influence media perceptions on the public value of languages; ‘One voice for languages’; building further a languages community; relationship between IWLP and degree programmes Lobbying to make languages a governmental and societal priority: need for UK Languages Policy Curriculum content at GCSE and A level and support for transition at key learning points Recruitment and declining pipeline of students to university languages degrees Attitudes of senior leaders in university; Making the case for languages research; European partnership and mobility: Brexit, Erasmus+ Question 1: What are the priority issues for the modern languages community that you think UCML should address over the coming 18 months to 2 years?

Increase recruitment to language programmes Engage the general public and improve perceptions of languages Increased support for schools outreach and widening participation programmes Lobby university leadership to retain diversity of language offer Impacts of Brexit; maintaining European links or creating new ones Maintaining visibility and capacity of languages research; value of interdisciplinarity Raise profile of languages across government and devolved administrations; UK Languages strategy Support for smaller languages; models for sustainability Question 2: What are the priority issues for modern languages for you as an organisation/network/university/devolved nation?

Create more links between language associations: ‘clear and unified messaging Improve links between schools and universities and support languages post-16; working with the ‘left behind’ communities and languages Engage actively with the media: recruit visible ‘language champions’; marketing campaign Lobby government and support development of national languages policy Improve curriculum and support for GCSE and A level; liaision schools/examination boards UCML as a ‘connector’; producing reports and policy advice; opinion pieces in the press UCML to host an annual modern languages teacher conference UCML to share expertise in language teaching and course design; support submissions to TEF Question 3: What are your suggestions for positive actions or developments that could support modern languages across the UK

Suggested Priorities Building a community: ‘one voice for languages’ Leading a media campaign for and about languages Supporting a UK Languages Strategy Supporting the languages pipeline from school to university Supporting the visibility of languages research Responding to current political climate and seeking opportunities for languages to thrive

Loving Languages ‘Celebrate language learning that shows creative acquisition of language. Give students the confidence that failure is an opportunity and, in language matters, is a source of innovation and creativity. Support potential not performance’