Language learning guides

Students who take a language degree, or any degree with an overseas year built in, face an unusual funding question: how does student finance treat the year spent abroad? For students who normally live in England, GOV.UK’s 2026 to 2027 guidance sets a much lower tuition fee for that year and its own maintenance loan rates. This article summarises the GOV.UK pages “Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year and 2027 to 2028 academic year” and “Support with living and other costs: 2026 to 2027 academic year”, plus the “Extra financial help” page of the student finance guide. It applies to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate student finance systems that these pages do not cover. Figures are for the 2026 to 2027 academic year unless stated and may change in later years. This is general information; students should check the current calculator and their provider.

The reduced tuition fee for an overseas year

GOV.UK says that, for approved (fee cap) providers, students undertaking an overseas year of study or a Turing year will be charged up to 15% of the maximum standard full-time or full-time accelerated tuition fee. The site’s article on the Turing Scheme explains how it relates to language study.

GOV.UK gives the standard maximum for the highest-fee category of provider as £9,790 for 2026 to 2027 and £10,050 for 2027 to 2028. Fifteen per cent of £9,790 is about £1,469, so a student at a provider charging the maximum could expect an overseas year fee of up to roughly that amount in 2026 to 2027. That arithmetic is an illustration, and the provider’s own published fee and its category (which the page ties to its Teaching Excellence Framework and access and participation plan status) decide the exact figure. Students should ask their university for the year-abroad fee in writing.

Maintenance loan while studying overseas

The living-costs guidance for 2026 to 2027 has a separate line for students studying overseas as part of a UK course. For full-time undergraduates not eligible for benefits, the maximum maintenance loan is £12,403 and the minimum £5,996. For full-time undergraduates eligible for benefits, the maximum is £13,806 and the minimum £5,996. The page states that the rates cover England and represent a 2.71% increase on the previous academic year. It does not itemise what the loan is meant to cover beyond the general purpose of living costs, and household income affects how much of the range a student receives.

Travel grants and other help

The extra help page of the student finance guide says students who normally live in England but study away from home may get help with travel expenses, and it points to a separate grant page originally described for medical and dental students. The page read does not explain what costs qualify or how to apply for a year abroad, and it does not mention visa, medical or insurance costs. Anyone planning a year abroad should therefore ask the university’s international office and Student Finance England what additional help exists, rather than assuming the travel grant or any other support applies.

Planning a language year abroad

• Confirm with the university whether the year abroad is a study placement, a work placement or a Turing-funded year, since the GOV.UK wording mentions an overseas year of study and a Turing year.
• Ask for the fee for the year in writing, and check whether it is the 15% figure for an approved (fee cap) provider.
• Compare the maintenance loan for overseas study with the cost of living in the destination country, which the guidance does not do for the student.
• Check how the language level required for the placement is assessed; the site’s CEFR levels guide explains a common framework used by many providers.
• Budget for costs the pages do not cover, such as visas and health cover, and check them against official information for the destination.

How this differs from short courses

Everything above concerns degree-level student finance. Someone taking a short language course abroad, or a private course at home, is outside student finance and should compare providers on price and accreditation; see the site’s guides to choosing a language course and to life on an immersion or study abroad programme.

Common questions

Is the reduced fee only for language students?

The GOV.UK wording refers to students undertaking an overseas year of study or a Turing year, not to a particular subject.

Does this apply in Scotland or Wales?

The guidance read applies to England. Other nations’ systems are separate.

Will the 15% rate change?

The page gives the 15% rule for 2026 to 2027 and 2027 to 2028 fee information, so later years need to be checked.

The bottom line

For English student finance in 2026 to 2027, an overseas year of study or Turing year is charged at up to 15% of the maximum standard fee, and there is a separate maintenance loan range of £5,996 to £13,806 depending on benefits eligibility. Travel help exists for those who study away from home, but the details need checking. Students should confirm the exact fee and support with their provider and Student Finance England before committing to a placement.

Sources

• GOV.UK, “Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year and 2027 to 2028 academic year”
• GOV.UK, “Support with living and other costs: 2026 to 2027 academic year”
• GOV.UK, “Student finance for undergraduates: Extra help”

Employers sometimes pay for staff to learn a language, for example when an office opens in another country or a role involves regular contact with overseas customers. Employees then ask whether they will be taxed on the course as a benefit. In the UK the answer turns on an exemption for work-related training in section 250 of the Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003 (ITEPA), which HMRC explains in its Employment Income Manual. This article summarises three manual pages: EIM01210 (the exemption), EIM01220 (what counts as work-related training) and EIM01240 (related costs). It concerns UK income tax treatment; the manual pages do not discuss National Insurance or devolved differences, and they do not address language courses specifically. It is general information, not tax advice, and an employer or adviser should confirm the position for a particular case.

The exemption in outline

HMRC says the section 250 exemption removes any possible tax charge where an employer, or a third party, incurs expenditure on work-related training for employees. It applies whether the employer pays directly or reimburses the employee, and it covers sums that would otherwise be taxed as earnings, as benefits or under the vouchers rules. The manual adds that the exemption extends to office holders, that it covers training provided internally or externally, and that there are no territorial restrictions on where the training takes place.

What counts as work-related training

The manual refers to the statutory definition: any training course or other activity designed to impart, instil, improve or reinforce any knowledge, skills or personal qualities. To qualify, the training must meet one of two conditions. Either the knowledge, skills or qualities are, or are likely to prove, useful to the employee when performing their duties, or they qualify or better qualify the employee for the employment. HMRC states that there are no restrictions on delivery format: self-tuition, computer-based learning, distance education, work placements, informal training and classroom instruction can all qualify.

The examples HMRC gives include practical and theoretical skills relevant to the employee, leadership and team skills, work-related first aid and health and safety courses, and employee development schemes. Language training is not named. The manual’s wording implies that a language course qualifies when it is genuinely tied to the employee’s current job or a closely related one, and the reference to being useful in performing duties is the test that a course for an overseas posting or a customer-facing role would need to meet. A course chosen for personal interest, with no link to the job, would be harder to fit within the definition.

Related costs covered

The exemption is not limited to tuition fees. HMRC explains that it extends to costs incidental to undertaking the training, such as additional travel or childcare made necessary by the course, but not routine everyday travel or childcare. It also covers costs connected with an assessment of what the employee has gained, which need not be a formal examination, and the cost of obtaining a qualification, registration or award that results from the training or assessment. For language learners that could reasonably include the fee for a recognised examination where it follows from the employer-funded course. The site’s explanations of the major English exams and of CEFR levels show how exams and levels are described.

Conditions and limits

• Reward is not training: HMRC says a payment or reimbursement of training costs is not exempt if its purpose is to reward the employee.
• Mixed purposes: where spending is partly for reward and partly for training, it must be apportioned, but not merely because a course includes enjoyable elements. The manual gives hotel leisure facilities on a residential course as an example.
• Self-funded courses: employees who meet their own training costs get no benefit from this exemption. HMRC says relief for such costs must be considered under different provisions, which these pages do not explain.

Practical questions to ask

An employee offered a language course can ask the employer how the course relates to the job, whether the employer has treated it as work-related training, whether exam fees and materials are included and whether repayment is expected if the employee leaves. The site’s guide to business language courses describes what such courses cover, and its comparison of one-to-one and group formats may help when choosing. Repayment clauses are a contract matter that the HMRC manual does not address.

Common questions

Is a language course automatically tax-free if my employer pays?

No. HMRC’s exemption depends on the training being work-related, and the manual does not list language training as such.

Does it matter if the course is online?

No. HMRC says computer-based and distance learning can qualify, and there are no restrictions on delivery format.

What if I pay myself?

The exemption does not apply to self-financed training, according to HMRC, and any relief is considered under separate rules that these pages do not cover.

The bottom line

Section 250 ITEPA can remove a tax charge on employer-funded language training when it is work-related, meaning useful in the employee’s duties or qualifying them for the employment. Delivery method is not restricted, related costs such as travel and exam fees can be covered, and a payment made to reward the employee is not exempt. Because HMRC does not address language training specifically, the link between the course and the role should be clear.

Sources

• HMRC, “EIM01210 – Employment income: work-related training: general” (gov.uk)
• HMRC, “EIM01220 – Employment Income Manual, work-related training: definition of work-related training” (gov.uk)
• HMRC, “EIM01240 – Employment Income Manual, work-related training: related costs” (gov.uk)

Adults in the United States who want to learn English are served by a mix of community colleges, libraries, charities and local schools, and much of the publicly funded provision traces back to a single federal law. This article explains what that law says, using the text of the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), which is Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, as published in the US Code. It concerns the United States only. The statute sets the framework; the fees, hours and waiting lists of individual classes are decided by states and local providers, and the pages read do not describe them. It is general information about the law, not a guide to any particular class.

The purpose of the law

Section 3271 of Title 29 of the US Code describes AEFLA as a federal-state-local partnership to provide voluntary adult education and literacy activities. It lists four aims. The first is helping adults obtain the knowledge and skills needed for employment and economic self-sufficiency. The second is supporting parents and family members so that they can become full partners in their children’s educational development. The third is helping adults gain a secondary school diploma and move on to postsecondary education and training, including through career pathways. The fourth is assisting immigrants and English language learners in improving their reading, writing, speaking and comprehension skills in English, along with mathematics, and in gaining an understanding of the American system of government, individual freedom and the responsibilities of citizenship.

The English-language aim sits alongside the others, so a learner may find English instruction offered as part of a broader adult education programme rather than under a separate label.

What counts as an English language acquisition programme

Section 3272 defines the terms. An English language acquisition programme is one that teaches eligible individuals who are English language learners to achieve competence in reading, writing, speaking and comprehension of English, leading either to a secondary school diploma and a transition to postsecondary education, or to employment. That definition places the emphasis on skills for study and work rather than casual conversation.

The law also defines “integrated English literacy and civics education”. It covers services for adult English language learners, expressly including professionals with foreign credentials, that enable them to achieve English competence and acquire the skills needed to function as parents, workers and citizens. The instruction covers literacy, English language acquisition and civics or civic participation, and it may include workforce training.

Who is an eligible individual

Section 3272 defines an eligible individual by three criteria: the person has reached the age of 16, is not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under state law, and is either basic skills deficient, lacks a secondary school diploma or its equivalent, or is an English language learner. The definition is about age, schooling status and English or basic-skills need. It does not mention immigration status, and the sources read do not say whether individual providers apply further conditions. That silence is not the same as confirming there are none, so a learner should ask the local provider.

What the law does not say

• It does not set a price. The statute describes a partnership and eligible individuals, not what a learner pays.
• It does not name particular classes or providers. Delivery is a matter for the states and local organisations that receive funding.
• It does not describe the naturalisation test, which is a separate process; the site’s article on the US naturalization English test explains that.
• It does not cover private language schools, which run on their own terms.

Choosing between public and private options

Publicly supported adult education and commercial language schools serve different needs. Public programmes are framed around employment, family, diploma and civic goals. Commercial schools may offer intensive schedules, tailored business English or preparation for tests. A comparison should start with the learner’s goal, and then ask each provider about level placement, hours, cost, teacher qualifications and progress measures. The site’s guide to choosing a language course lists questions that apply here, and its piece on the Seal of Biliteracy covers a separate US credential for school students.

Other countries’ equivalents

Similar state-supported schemes exist elsewhere, each with its own eligibility rules. The site describes Canada’s LINC and CLIC classes and free ESOL in England. Rules in one country cannot be transferred to another.

Common questions

Is the programme only for immigrants?

No. The statute’s purposes include immigrants and English learners, but also adults seeking basic skills, a diploma, employment skills or family literacy.

What is the minimum age?

The statutory definition of an eligible individual requires reaching age 16, and not being enrolled in secondary school under state law.

Does the statute guarantee free classes?

The provisions read here do not address cost, so fees should be checked with the local provider.

Does it teach civics too?

The statute defines integrated English literacy and civics education, which combines English instruction with civics and may include workforce training.

The bottom line

AEFLA creates a voluntary federal-state-local framework for adult education, including English language acquisition and integrated English literacy and civics education for eligible individuals aged 16 and over who are not in secondary school. It does not fix fees or list providers, so the practical answers about cost, level and schedule come from the state or local programme.

Sources

• Legal Information Institute, “29 U.S. Code § 3271 – Purpose” (law.cornell.edu)
• Legal Information Institute, “29 U.S. Code § 3272 – Definitions” (law.cornell.edu)

Canada funds English and French classes for many newly arrived adults, and the classes are free to those who qualify. This article summarises the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) page on government-funded language classes and the Ontario settlement information service Settlement.Org’s description of the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programme. It covers the federal programme as it is described on those pages, with Ontario as the example. Provincial arrangements can differ, and the pages read do not address Quebec, so those details are not covered. It is general information; eligibility should be checked with a local newcomer-serving organisation.

Two programmes, two languages

IRCC lists two government-funded programmes: LINC, Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada, which teaches English, and CLIC, Cours de langue pour les immigrants au Canada, which teaches French. Settlement.Org describes LINC as a free language training programme for eligible adult learners funded by IRCC, providing foundational language skills, and notes that the same arrangement operates in French through CLIC. Classes follow official national standards, the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French, according to IRCC.

Who can take the classes

IRCC says permanent residents and protected persons can take language classes at no cost. Settlement.Org gives more detail for Ontario: applicants must be permanent residents, protected persons, convention refugees or Ukrainian nationals admitted under the CUAET-AVUCU arrangements, must be at least 18 years old and must not be enrolled in CLIC at the same time. It lists as ineligible Canadian citizens, refugee claimants and temporary residents such as foreign students, workers and visitors. The IRCC page itself does not spell out the groups who are excluded, so the Settlement.Org list should be read as a description of Ontario delivery and rules can change, so the current position should be confirmed with IRCC or a local provider. In practice, this means many newcomers on temporary permits must look for other options, such as college language courses, tutors or community classes.

Cost, format and childcare

Classes are fully government-funded, at no cost to participants. Settlement.Org says LINC offers both full-time and part-time classes, and some centres provide free childcare during class time. IRCC says childcare is available in some places, with people who will mind a child while a parent attends. Whether care is offered depends on the location, so anyone with young children should ask when registering.

How to enrol

Enrolment follows the same steps on both pages:

1. Visit an organisation that helps newcomers.
2. Request a formal language assessment.
3. Register for classes.
4. Begin attending.

Settlement.Org says applicants take a test at a Language Assessment Centre, and that an online self-assessment tool is available through the National Centre for Language Benchmarks. Settlement agencies throughout Ontario help with enrolment, and the service points people to the 211 Ontario helpline for finding free English classes nearby. The assessment matters because it places the learner at a level rather than in a general beginners’ class.

Certificates and citizenship

IRCC says that on completing a CLB level, a learner receives a certificate that shows their proficiency. It adds that a certificate at CLB level 4 or higher can be used to meet the language requirement for citizenship. Because citizenship requirements are set separately and can change, anyone planning an application should check the current IRCC citizenship pages rather than relying on this summary. The site’s article on language tests for Canadian Express Entry covers the separate approved tests used for immigration applications, and its guide to CEFR levels explains a different framework used in Europe.

How this compares with other countries

Comparable publicly funded programmes exist elsewhere. For Australia, see the site’s piece on free English classes and the Adult Migrant English Program, and for England the guide to free ESOL classes. Each has its own eligibility rules, so one country’s entitlements should never be assumed to apply in another.

Common questions

Is LINC available to international students?

Settlement.Org lists foreign students among the temporary residents who are not eligible for LINC in Ontario.

Do I need a test before joining?

Yes. Both pages describe a formal language assessment as the first step before registration.

Can I learn French through the same route?

Yes. IRCC lists CLIC as the French-language equivalent, and the classes follow the NCLC.

Is childcare guaranteed?

No. It is available in some places or at some centres, so it should be checked with the provider.

The bottom line

LINC and CLIC give eligible newcomers in Canada free English or French classes, assessed and levelled against national benchmarks, with certificates that can count towards the citizenship language requirement at CLB level 4 or higher, according to IRCC. Eligibility centres on permanent residents and protected persons and excludes many temporary residents, so the first step is a formal assessment through a newcomer-serving organisation.

Sources

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, “Language classes funded by the Government of Canada” (canada.ca)
• Settlement.Org, “What is the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program?”

A GCSE grade in French, German or Spanish is often treated as a simple measure of language ability, whether a learner is choosing a course for a child or deciding how to return to a language as an adult. In England, though, the regulator Ofqual found that grading in these three subjects was not equally severe, and it changed the grading standard for two of them. This article summarises Ofqual’s decision statement on inter-subject comparability in GCSE modern foreign languages, published on GOV.UK on 5 November 2019, and an Ofqual blog post of 14 February 2019 that evaluated the new GCSEs. Ofqual regulates qualifications in England, so the article concerns GCSEs in England. It is general information.

What Ofqual decided

The GOV.UK statement says Ofqual decided to adjust the grading standards in GCSE French and German to align them with Spanish, but not to adjust Spanish itself. French and German were, in Ofqual’s analysis, consistently harder than other GCSE subjects across a range of statistical measures. Spanish did not show statistical evidence of severe grading, and its entries were not declining. The adjustment was described as making French and German less severely graded in statistical terms, and it was to begin with the 2020 exam series and might be phased over several years. Students from earlier years were not to be regraded.

How Ofqual tested whether to adjust

Ofqual applied a four-part test, according to the statement. First, whether there was statistical evidence of persistent severity in grading over multiple years. Second, whether there was persuasive evidence of detrimental impact on users of the qualification and on society. Third, whether qualification users and examiners would accept an adjustment. Fourth, whether the benefits outweighed potential negative effects. French and German met these tests, in Ofqual’s view, and Spanish did not. For French and German, the statement notes a significant recent decline in student entries, that students’ work was of a sufficient standard when measured against the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), and that examiners and stakeholders supported adjustment.

What the adjustment means in practice

The statement says the adjustment means students of comparable ability would achieve higher grades in French and German than before. It does not change the exam papers or the content of the qualification. Instead it changes the statistical expectations used when grades are awarded, so that a similar quality of work is more likely to receive a higher grade. The regulator’s decision is a statement about grading standards for future results, not about the ability of any earlier candidate.

Anyone comparing results across years should keep this in mind. A grade obtained before the adjustment and one obtained after it may reflect a similar standard of language performance while carrying different letters or numbers. For a fuller picture of what each language qualification represents, see the site’s explanations of CEFR levels and of Ofqual-regulated language qualifications.

Why the 2018 papers were harder

The Ofqual blog reports that the 2018 assessments were more difficult than those in 2017, and describes this as moving the papers from being a bit too easy into a suitable range. It says the difficulty came from factors teachers had not anticipated: more demanding vocabulary in reading and listening materials, questions requiring deeper comprehension instead of keyword spotting, and new extract-based, translation and short-answer formats. Contrary to worries before the exams, it says target-language questions and speech speed were not the cause. Ofqual’s evidence included surveys of teachers in autumn 2018, question-level facility scores, comparisons across listening, reading, writing and speaking components, and an alignment exercise against the CEFR. It stated that it would report in more detail later in 2019, and it did not adjust grading for these subjects in 2019.

What this means for learners and parents

• A grade in one modern language is not automatically a like-for-like measure of another, since Ofqual found that French and German had been harder to score well in than Spanish.
• The adjustment concerned grading, not the standard of language skill required by the specification.
• Adults resuming a language after school can use the CEFR as a common reference for level rather than a remembered grade.
• Exam-board and Ofqual information is the reliable source for the current state of grading.
• The site’s piece on why the national curriculum requirement stops at 14 gives context on entry numbers.

Common questions

Was Spanish adjusted too?

No. The statement says Spanish did not show statistical evidence of severe grading and its entries were not declining.

Were older results regraded?

No. The statement says past students would not be regraded retrospectively.

Does this apply in Wales or Northern Ireland?

The sources describe Ofqual’s decision for England, and this article does not address the position in other nations.

The bottom line

Ofqual concluded that GCSE French and German had been graded more severely than other subjects and Spanish, and decided to adjust them to align with Spanish from the 2020 series. Papers themselves were not made easier; the adjustment changed grading expectations so comparable work earns higher grades. Readers comparing language grades over time or across languages should treat them with that history in mind and use the CEFR for level.

Sources

• Ofqual, “Inter-subject comparability in GCSE modern foreign languages”, GOV.UK
• Ofqual blog, “Evaluating new GCSEs in French, German and Spanish” (ofqual.blog.gov.uk)

In Northern Ireland, children can be taught in Irish from primary school onwards, and the law gives the Department of Education a specific duty about it. For families considering Irish-medium education, and for adult learners curious about how the language is taught to children, the Department’s pages and the legislation set out the essentials. This article summarises them. It concerns Northern Ireland only; the wider legal status of Irish there is covered in the site’s guide to Irish and Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland and the 2022 Act.

What Irish-medium education means

The Department of Education describes Irish-medium education as education provided in an Irish speaking school. The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 defines it in almost identical words in article 89, which says “Irish-medium education” means education provided in an Irish speaking school.

The Department’s statutory duty

Article 89(1) of the 1998 Order says it shall be the duty of the Department to encourage and facilitate the development of Irish-medium education. Article 89(2) allows the Department, subject to conditions it thinks fit, to pay grants to any body that appears to it to have the encouragement or promotion of Irish-medium education as an objective. Article 89(3) says the Department’s approval of a proposal to establish a new Irish speaking voluntary school may be granted on terms and conditions the Department determines. The Department’s own page repeats the duty in similar terms.

These provisions describe what the Department must do, not a right for a particular family to a place in a particular school, so admission arrangements for individual schools are outside the scope of this article.

How many schools and units there are

According to the Department, there are currently 30 Irish-medium schools in Northern Ireland and a further 10 Irish-medium units attached to English-medium host schools. Of the 30 schools, 28 are primary and two are post-primary. Of the 10 units, seven are primary and three are post-primary. The Department’s list of Irish-medium schools names the stand-alone primary schools, including Bunscoil Phobal Feirste and Gaelscoil an Lonnáin among many others, and names the two stand-alone post-primary schools as Colaiste Feirste and Gaelcholáiste Dhoire. It also lists English-medium host schools that have an Irish-medium unit at primary or post-primary level.

The list page gives pupil totals for the 2020/21 school year: 4,604 pupils in Years 1 to 7 in primary Irish-medium provision, and 1,511 pupils in Years 7 to 14 in post-primary provision. These are figures for that year; the Department directs readers to its education data infographics for statistics on Irish-medium education, so a family or researcher wanting current numbers should use those. The list page and the main Irish-medium page differ slightly in how they describe the post-primary units, so anyone relying on a specific school should check its status with the Department or the school.

Who to contact

The Department says that people wanting more information can contact Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (CnaG), a body the Department established in August 2000 whose remit is to promote Irish-medium education. CnaG is the practical first stop for questions about local provision, alongside the individual schools.

Stand-alone schools and units compared

• Stand-alone schools. These are Irish-medium schools in their own right. Examples named by the Department at post-primary level are Colaiste Feirste and Gaelcholáiste Dhoire.
• Units. The Department describes these as Irish-medium units attached to English-medium host schools. The Department lists host schools such as St Patrick’s Primary School and St Malachy’s High School.

The Department’s pages do not compare the two models or their outcomes, so this article does not rank them.

What this means for language learners

Adult learners are served by different routes, such as the courses and awards described in the site’s guide to Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge, which concerns Ireland’s adult certificate. For comparison with the Welsh model, where a statute sets minimum shares of Welsh teaching, see the site’s guide to the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025.

Common questions

Is Irish-medium education compulsory in Northern Ireland? The sources above describe a duty on the Department to encourage and facilitate it, not a requirement on schools or families to use it.

How many Irish-medium schools are there? The Department says 30 schools plus 10 units attached to English-medium host schools.

The bottom line

In Northern Ireland, Irish-medium education means teaching in an Irish speaking school, and article 89 of the Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998 places a duty on the Department of Education to encourage and facilitate its development. The Department reports 30 schools and 10 units, and points enquirers to Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta. Families should confirm the current status of any school directly and use the Department’s latest statistics. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

• Department of Education (Northern Ireland), “Irish-medium schools” (education-ni.gov.uk)
• Department of Education (Northern Ireland), “List of Irish-medium schools” (education-ni.gov.uk)
• legislation.gov.uk, “Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1998, article 89 (Irish-medium education)”

Australia has a national curriculum that sets out how languages are taught in schools from the Foundation year to Year 10. Parents choosing a school, adult learners comparing course structures and anyone curious about how a large country organises language learning can use it as a reference. This article summarises the Languages learning area of the Australian Curriculum (version 9) as published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). It concerns Australia only.

Which languages are covered

ACARA’s Languages learning area lists language-specific curricula for Arabic, Auslan (Australian Sign Language), Chinese, Classical Greek, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Modern Greek, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese. It also includes two frameworks: a Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages, and a Framework for Classical Languages. The description says that the Languages curriculum “includes language-specific curricula and frameworks for world languages”, and that its purpose is to give all students the opportunity to engage in learning a language in addition to English.

Three types of learner

A distinctive feature is the way the curriculum categorises learners. It says learners of languages in Australia comprise three major groups:

• Second-language learners, who are introduced to the target language at school as an additional, new language; the language used before school or at home is not the language being learnt.
• Background-language learners, who may use the language at home, not necessarily exclusively, and have varying degrees of knowledge of and proficiency in it. They have a base for literacy development in the language.
• First-language learners, who use and/or identify with the language as their mother tongue and use it for primary socialisation, education or literacy development.

For readers who are considering heritage-language study, the site’s guide to relearning a heritage language covers a related idea from a research perspective.

Aims

The curriculum names three interrelated aims: to develop linguistic competence, to understand language and culture and their relationship and thereby develop an intercultural capability in communication, and to help students understand themselves as communicators. In its rationale, ACARA says a capability solely in English “can limit global opportunities” and that a bilingual or pluri-lingual capability is the norm in many parts of the world. The document lists benefits it expects from learning languages, including communication skills, literacy skills in first and additional languages, intercultural capabilities and critical and creative thinking. These are the curriculum’s stated intentions rather than measured outcomes.

Structure: one or two sequences

The structure is presented in one or two sequences that offer alternative entry points, from Foundation to Year 10 and/or from Year 7 to Year 10. The Foundation to Year 10 sequence is presented in bands of two year levels after the Foundation year, while the Years 7 to 10 sequence has two bands: Years 7 and 8, and Years 9 and 10. The curriculum stresses that teachers can use the sequences flexibly, and that the two sequences do not necessarily represent every entry point into the curriculum.

Content is organised under two interrelated strands. For modern languages these are “Communicating meaning” and “Understanding language and culture”. The first strand has three sub-strands, interacting, mediating meaning in and between languages, and creating text. The second has two: understanding systems of language, and understanding the interrelationship of language and culture. Classical languages use a different first strand, engaging with the ancient world through texts, with sub-strands on accessing and responding to texts and on translating them into English.

Use of English and the macro skills

ACARA says students of modern languages use the target language to communicate whenever possible in classroom, local or digital environments, while English is used for reflection, discussion of ideas and comparing languages. For classical languages, English also supports interpretation and translation. The curriculum treats listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing, the “macro skills”, as interrelated and incorporates them in an integrated way rather than separately. This integrated approach contrasts with course designs that teach each skill in isolation; the site’s guide to how to choose a language course helps compare course formats.

Who decides how it is used

ACARA states that implementation of the Australian Curriculum is the responsibility of state and territory school and curriculum authorities, which decide how and when it is implemented in their jurisdiction. In practice, this means the language offering at any given school depends on state and territory decisions and on the school, not on the national document alone.

Common questions

Are all listed languages taught in every school? No. ACARA says implementation is decided by state and territory authorities.

Does the curriculum use the CEFR scale? The Languages learning area page uses bands of year levels rather than CEFR levels; readers wanting CEFR context can read the site’s CEFR explainer.

The bottom line

The Australian Curriculum: Languages provides a national framework for language teaching from Foundation to Year 10, with curricula for 16 languages and frameworks for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and for classical languages. It distinguishes second-language, background-language and first-language learners, organises content into two strands, and offers two entry sequences. State and territory authorities decide how it is implemented. This is general information based on ACARA publications.

Sources

• Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, “Understand this learning area: Languages” (v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
• Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority, “Foundation – Year 10 curriculum” (acara.edu.au)

Wales has written a language-learning target into law, and it uses the same A1 to C2 scale that language learners meet on exam certificates. The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 sets the aim that pupils in Wales reach at least independent-user level in Welsh by the end of compulsory schooling, and divides schools into three language categories with legal minimums for Welsh-language teaching. This article summarises the Act as described by the Welsh Government and the text on legislation.gov.uk. It concerns Wales only; adult learning is covered separately in the site’s guide to Cymraeg i Oedolion and the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.

What the Act is for

The Welsh Government says the Act contributes towards the goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050 by putting measures in place that aim to ensure that all pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age, are independent Welsh language users at least. The Act’s explanatory notes add that the objective is for all pupils to develop oral skills equivalent to B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The Act passed the Senedd on 13 May 2025 and received Royal Assent on 7 July 2025. Different provisions come into force at different times: some took effect on 8 July 2025 and 7 September 2025, the National Institute for Learning Welsh provisions are set to begin on 1 August 2027, and the rest are brought in by Welsh Ministers’ orders. The Government’s page was last updated on 21 April 2026.

A Welsh continuum built on the CEFR

The Act establishes a standard way of describing Welsh ability based on the CEFR. According to the explanatory notes, it describes three types of Welsh language user, grouped by the six CEFR levels: basic users (A1 and A2), independent users (B1 and B2) and proficient users (C1 and C2). The table in Schedule 1 is reproduced, for Welsh, from the Council of Europe’s 2020 CEFR Companion Volume. For learners, this means the familiar labels used in the site’s guide to CEFR levels are the same ones used in this statutory framework.

Three school language categories

Section 9 of the Act says each school is designated one of three language categories, which determine the minimum amount of Welsh-language education and the school’s Welsh language learning goal. A school may be designated more than one category, and the Act says this provision does not apply to community special schools. The categories are:

• “Primarily Welsh Language”. Under section 10, the minimum amount of Welsh-language education is 80% of the education and training provided over a school year during school sessions. Under section 11 the learning goal is that pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age, are proficient Welsh language users, reaching C1 or C2 at least.
• “Dual Language”. The minimum is 50%. The initial goal is that pupils are independent users (B1 or B2) at least, and, after a year group specified by Welsh Ministers in regulations, that they also reach at least B2 for oral interaction.
• “Primarily English Language, partly Welsh”. The minimum is 10%. The initial goal is that pupils are basic users (A1 or A2) at least. After a year group specified in regulations, the goal rises to independent users (B1 or B2), and later to at least B2 for oral interaction.

The explanatory notes state that the minimum amount refers to the school’s education and training provision in general, not the provision given to each individual pupil. Welsh Ministers may change the minimum amounts by regulations, but not below 80%, 50% and 10% for the respective categories, and must consider whether to do so for the third category within five years of the section coming into force and every five years after that.

Planning duties and a national institute

The Government’s overview says the Act links planning at national, local and school level: a duty on Welsh Ministers to prepare a National Framework for Welsh Language Education and Learning Welsh, a duty on local authorities to prepare Welsh in education strategic plans, and a duty on schools to prepare Welsh language education delivery plans. It also creates a National Institute for Learning Welsh, a new body responsible for supporting people of all ages to learn Welsh, with the Institute provisions due to begin on 1 August 2027.

What families and adult learners should take from it

For parents, the school’s designated category is the most useful fact: it sets a legal floor for Welsh-language teaching and a stated learning goal. For adults, the same CEFR-based scale offers a common way to compare a Welsh course with a course in any other language, though the Act’s goals apply to pupils, not adult classes. Anyone comparing exam-based qualifications should also read the site’s guide to Ofqual-regulated language qualifications.

Common questions

Do all Welsh schools teach the same amount of Welsh? No. The Act sets minimum amounts of 80%, 50% and 10% depending on the school’s language category.

Does the Act cover England? No. It is an Act of the Senedd and applies to schools in Wales.

The bottom line

The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 aims to make all pupils in Wales at least independent Welsh users by the end of compulsory schooling, using the CEFR as the yardstick. It sets three school language categories with minimum Welsh-language teaching of 80%, 50% and 10%, matching learning goals that range from A1 or A2 up to C1 or C2, and it creates a National Institute for Learning Welsh from 1 August 2027. Implementation is staged, so the current commencement position is best checked on the Welsh Government’s page. This is general information, not legal advice.

Sources

• Welsh Government, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025” (gov.wales)
• legislation.gov.uk, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025: Explanatory Notes”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, section 10 (Minimum amount of provision of Welsh language education)”
• legislation.gov.uk, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, section 11 (Welsh language learning goals)”

Latin and Ancient Greek do not appear in most lists of languages to learn, yet they carry a long tradition in schools and universities. In England, access to them in state schools has been uneven, and the Department for Education (DfE) has tried different forms of support over the past few years. This article summarises what official DfE material says about the Latin Excellence Programme, its closure, and the support that remains for schools and learners. It concerns England only.

Why the programme was created

A DfE press release of 31 July 2021 announced a new £4 million Latin Excellence Programme for state secondary schools. It cited a British Council survey finding that Latin was taught at key stage 3 in 2.7% of state schools compared with 49% of independent schools. The stated aim was to raise GCSE Latin entries, and the programme was modelled on the Mandarin Excellence Programme, which the release said had been launched in 2016 and involved 75 schools and more than 6,000 pupils learning Mandarin towards fluency. The release said the Latin programme would be led by a centre of excellence working with up to 40 schools to develop teacher training resources and lesson materials for 11 to 16 year olds, supporting schools over four years from 2022 to 2026.

The DfE’s Education Hub, a public-facing blog, presented the reasoning in more accessible terms. It said around two thirds of English words are derived from Latin, that Latin gives an advantage to anyone learning languages derived from it, and that it influences the study of Classics, including Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew, classical civilisation and ancient history. These are the Department’s own claims in a promotional post, not the findings of a study, and they should be read that way.

What participating schools received

The GOV.UK guidance for schools, dated 6 March 2023 and now marked withdrawn, described the programme as offering funding to increase Latin provision, a fully resourced key stage 3 and key stage 4 curriculum, enrichment activities and trips, visits from expert practitioners six times a year, and regular continuing professional development for teaching Latin in the state sector. It was delivered by the Centre for Latin Excellence, established by the multi-academy trust Future Academies, and was free. Schools were expected to be non-selective state schools in the North, Midlands and South West of England, to have an Ofsted rating of good or outstanding, and to be at or working towards an EBacc entry rate of 40% or more. The programme started in schools in September 2022.

Discontinuation

The Education Hub post of March 2025 states that the programme has been discontinued, but that the 39 schools in it can still access the curriculum materials provided through the scheme. It says pupils on the programme taking their Latin GCSE that summer would continue to be provided for, and that schools can continue to teach Latin outside the programme. The post says the Department values a varied curriculum. It does not give a reason for the end of the programme, so none is stated here.

Support that remains

The same post lists free or low-cost support that any school can use to introduce Latin and classics, delivered through charities that the Department says it works with:

• Classics for All, a charity working since 2010 to support classics teaching in state primary and secondary schools. The post says it has worked with over 180,000 pupils aged 7 to 18 in over 1,250 schools, and it supports teacher bursaries at summer schools.
• Hands Up Education, a non-profit organisation that creates teaching resources and trains teachers. Through its Latin in Schools Initiative it offers free Latin teacher training and free Latin courses up to GCSE for teachers, and can provide a GCSE textbook series and digital learning accounts free to schools starting Latin clubs or classes.
• The Classical Association, the national subject association for classics, which hosts training days, provides grants for professional development and student competitions or trips, and publishes the Journal of Classics Teaching and Omnibus magazine.

What this means for learners

For an adult or a parent, the practical lesson is that school provision of Latin depends on the individual school, and that outside school, courses are a separate route. Learners considering an ancient language for interest can compare the format questions in the site’s guide to how to choose a language course, and those wanting a qualification can read about taking a language GCSE or A-Level as a private candidate and the Ofqual-regulated language qualifications guide. The guidance above says nothing about adult classes, so those questions are for individual providers.

Common questions

Is the Latin Excellence Programme still running? No. The Department for Education says it has been discontinued, and its GOV.UK application guidance is marked withdrawn.

Can a school still teach Latin? Yes. The Department says schools can continue to teach Latin outside the programme and that any school can introduce classics.

The bottom line

England’s Latin Excellence Programme was announced in July 2021 to widen access to Latin in state schools, ran from September 2022 with a small number of schools, and has since been discontinued, with materials still available to the 39 participating schools. Charities such as Classics for All, Hands Up Education and the Classical Association continue to offer support that any school can use. Whether a given state school offers Latin remains a school-by-school decision. This is general information based on Department for Education publications.

Sources

• Department for Education, The Education Hub, “Teaching Latin and the classics: support available for schools” (educationhub.blog.gov.uk)
• Department for Education, GOV.UK, “Thousands more students to learn ancient and modern languages”
• GOV.UK, “[Withdrawn] Join the Latin Excellence Programme”
• Department for Education, The Education Hub, “What are the benefits of learning Latin and Mandarin in school?” (educationhub.blog.gov.uk)

Learners comparing language courses often see prices quoted “plus VAT” by one provider and without VAT by another. The difference is not random. VAT on education depends on who provides the course, what language is taught and how the teacher operates. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) sets out the rules in VAT Notice 701/30, “Education and vocational training”, last updated on 27 January 2025. This article summarises what the Notice says about language tuition in the UK. It is general information for learners and small providers, not tax advice.

The basic rule: eligible bodies are exempt

The Notice says that if a provider is an “eligible body” other than a private school, its supplies of education and vocational training are exempt from VAT. It lists eligible bodies, and the list includes schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges, universities, local authorities, certain non-profit organisations that meet conditions, and a commercial provider of tuition in English as a foreign language, to which special rules apply. From 1 January 2025 a private school’s education and vocational training are taxable at the standard rate, which GOV.UK’s VAT rates page confirms is 20% for most goods and services. For learners, this means the same evening class can be treated differently depending on whether it is run by a college or by a company.

English as a foreign language is treated specially

The Notice contains a dedicated section on English as a foreign language (EFL). Where a commercial body supplies EFL as well as other education, it should treat as exempt the EFL supplies and closely related supplies that meet the Notice’s conditions. Tuition is described as including all elements integral to the course, held out for sale as such, and intended to promote fluency in English, and the Notice gives sports and games, recreational activities, sightseeing and social activities as examples. Crucially, the Notice says the exemption does not extend to other educational or training courses, such as tuition in a language other than English, or training people to teach English as a foreign language.

A commercial provider offering a modular course with some EFL plus other subjects should apportion the supply by any fair and reasonable method, though if that is inconvenient or impractical the whole supply may be standard-rated.

Commercial providers of other languages

The Notice says that commercial providers of education other than EFL, meaning those operating with a view to making and distributing profits, are unlikely to be eligible bodies. It gives examples such as tutorial colleges and correspondence colleges. Where a provider is not an eligible body, the Notice directs it to consider whether the services count as private tuition or examination services. In practice, a company selling French or Spanish classes for profit that does not fit those categories is unlikely to benefit from the education exemption on the terms in the Notice. Whether a particular business must charge VAT also depends on VAT registration. GOV.UK says a business must register if its total taxable turnover for the last 12 months goes over £90,000 (the VAT threshold), and that a business need not register if it only sells VAT exempt or out-of-scope goods and services. A small provider below the threshold is therefore not obliged to charge VAT, though it may choose to register voluntarily.

Private tuition by an individual teacher

The Notice has a separate section on private tuition supplied by an individual teacher working in a personal capacity. It says a table helps decide whether the tuition is exempt, and that the exemption can apply to a sole proprietor or a member of a partnership where the subject is one taught regularly in a number of schools or universities. If a teacher takes on other teachers to assist, the Notice says either the supplies of tuition should be apportioned between exempt and taxable elements using any fair and reasonable method, or all supplies of tuition should be treated as taxable regardless of who delivers it. Goods and services sold with private tuition that are not an integral part of the supply of tuition must be treated as standard-rated unless relief is available elsewhere.

A learner choosing an independent tutor for French or German therefore may see a price with no VAT, while a language academy employing several tutors may not be able to treat all of its supplies the same way. Which applies to a given business is for that business and HMRC to determine.

Exams are treated separately

The Notice treats examination services, including setting and marking examinations, certification and registering candidates, as their own category: supplies by an eligible body are exempt, and supplies by a non-eligible body are exempt if the recipient is an eligible body or an individual. For learners paying for a language qualification, see the site’s guides to Ofqual-regulated language qualifications and to IELTS, TOEFL and Cambridge English.

Checking a quote

• Ask whether the price includes VAT, and whether the provider is an eligible body such as a college or university.
• For a commercial language school, ask whether the course is EFL, since only EFL tuition and closely related supplies get the special treatment.
• For extras such as materials or trips bundled with a course, ask how they are treated, because the Notice says separate supplies not integral to the tuition may be standard-rated.
• Compare on the full price payable, as covered in the site’s guide to choosing a language course.

Common questions

Is all language tuition exempt from VAT? No. The Notice says the EFL exemption does not extend to tuition in a language other than English.

What is the standard rate of VAT? The Notice describes the standard rate applying to private school education from 1 January 2025 as 20%.

The bottom line

In the UK, whether VAT is added to a language course depends on the provider. Eligible bodies such as colleges and universities are exempt, commercial EFL providers get an exemption limited to English tuition and related supplies, commercial providers of other languages are unlikely to be eligible bodies, and independent teachers may qualify for the private tuition exemption if the conditions are met. The current rules and thresholds are on GOV.UK, and providers should check them or take advice. This is general information, not tax advice.

Sources

• HM Revenue & Customs, GOV.UK, “Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)”
• GOV.UK, “Register for VAT”
• GOV.UK, “VAT rates”