- Spanish overtakes French: Spanish is now the most widely taught language at Key Stage 3 reflecting broader trends in GCSE entries, where Spanish continues to rise while French and German decline.
- Home, heritage and community languages on the rise: 70.5% of responding schools offer exams in home, heritage and community languages.
- Renewed growth and interest in the Irish language: 41.9% of responding post-primary schools now teach Irish at Key Stage 3 (up from 35% in 2023), while GCSE entries have risen by 14.9% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
- Increase in language learning at primary level: Primary languages appear to be bouncing back after the Covid-19 pandemic - Almost two-thirds (64.7%) of respondents are currently teaching languages in primary schools – up 10% compared to 2023.
- Statutory support: 74.3% of responding primary schools favour making language learning mandatory (down from 84% in 2023).
- AI use limited: Despite growing interest in digital tools, the majority of post-primary are not using AI for language teaching and in post-primary the use is still limited.
- Pupil voices: While three in four Year 9 pupils enjoy language classes, 89% see little relevance to their future career.
The number of Northern Ireland schools offering exams in home, heritage or community languages is on the rise according to new British Council research.
The Language Trends Northern Ireland 2025 report, published today (Wednesday, 4 June), is based on responses from over 55 per cent of post-primary schools, 17.4 per cent of primary schools, and more than 1,000 Year 9 pupils who took part in the surveys. The research, carried out by the Centre for Language Education Research (CLER) at Queen’s University Belfast, follows the 2023 report, which showed signs of recovery in language learning after the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year’s report reveals that home, heritage and community languages are gaining significant visibility and support in Northern Ireland’s education system. There are now more than 21,350 newcomer pupils (learners whose home language is neither English nor Irish) enrolled in Northern Ireland schools, accounting for six per cent of the school population in 2024-25. More schools are offering support to pupils to take exams in their home languages, with 70.5 per cent of the post-primary schools surveyed offering pupils the opportunity to sit exams in their home or community languages, either within the school or externally.
The research also highlights the growing linguistic diversity in schools, with nearly 30 different languages spoken at home by pupils in post-primary education. These include Arabic, Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Polish, Portuguese and Mandarin. Some schools report offering these heritage languages as part of enrichment or extra-curricular programmes.
There has also been a shift in the popularity of the main languages taught in post-primary schools. Spanish has overtaken French for the first time as the most popular language at Key Stage 3, with 84.8 per cent of schools now teaching Spanish, compared to 81 per cent for French, down from 90 per cent in 2023. Irish is also seeing growth at Key Stage 3, taught in 41.9 per cent of schools, up from 35 per cent in 2023.
At GCSE level, Spanish remains the most popular language, having held the top spot since overtaking French in 2021. In contrast, French continues to decline, with 11.4 percent of schools offering post-16 courses reporting that they have discontinued the subject. Meanwhile, Irish is experiencing renewed growth, with entries increasing by 14.9 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year. German, on the other hand, has faced a sustained long-term decline, with GCSE entries dropping by more than half since 2002 - from 1,390 to just 638 in 2024. At A Level, Spanish remains the most popular language, followed by Irish and then French. German entries remain low.
The report cites several factors as barriers to uptake at post-primary. Forty nine per cent of post-primary schools report that language classes won’t run without sufficient enrolment, a third (33.3%) of schools surveyed discourage lower-attaining pupils from taking languages and 36.2 per cent report that pupils may be advised by senior leadership not to take a language.
Teachers continue to express concern about the nature and content of external exams, describing them as one of the biggest challenges to providing high-quality language learning. Few schools reported that pupils received higher grades than expected in language exams. In terms of curriculum reform, 80 per cent of teachers said they would welcome a defined word list at GCSE, giving students access to the most frequently occurring vocabulary.
When asked what languages they would like to learn, pupils ranked Italian highest for the second year in a row, with 16.5 per cent of Year 9 pupils expressing interest, followed by Spanish at 14.9 per cent and Irish at 8.3 per cent.
Despite three in four Year 9 pupils saying they enjoy language lessons, 89 per cent feel that languages have little relevance to their future careers, and fewer than one-third currently intend to study a language at GCSE. Many pupils said they found languages too difficult or ‘boring’, with too much vocabulary to memorise and felt they were not good at them.
At primary level, there are encouraging signs of growth. Nearly two-thirds (64.7%) of responding primary schools now teach a language, up from 51 per cent in 2023. Irish is the most commonly taught language, followed by French and Spanish.
However, support for making language learning mandatory at primary level has declined. In 2023, 84 per cent of responding schools supported the idea, but in 2025, this fell to 74.3 per cent. The drop suggests growing concern among teachers about the practical realities of implementation. Reasons cited include an already overcrowded curriculum - particularly in literacy and numeracy - a shortage of trained staff, insufficient resources, and concerns around pupil readiness.
In terms of transitioning pupils to learn languages at post-primary, out of those surveyed, only 27.9 per cent of primary schools have any contact with local post-primary schools on language learning. The majority (73.5%) of responding primary schools support the idea of a language hub scheme, where post-primaries could provide visiting teachers or language assistants, shared resources and lesson plans, language-themed events or activities.
According to the survey, international opportunities, both physical and virtual - are on the decline, particularly in primary schools. Seventy-five per cent of responding primary schools report no international engagement in 2025 (compared to 67% in 2023). Post-primary engagement is slightly better but under strain, with fewer exchanges and limited cross-border partnerships.
For the first time the research also looked at AI technology in post primary and post-primary classrooms. It found that although some post-primary schools in Northern Ireland are using AI, uptake remains limited. A few schools (7.6%) use AI technology regularly and over two-fifths (41.9%) use it occasionally in a few lessons per month. However, nearly half (49.5%) do not use AI at all in language teaching. Meanwhile, in primary schools the majority (81.3%) of teachers have never used AI technology.
This shows that while AI is beginning to make inroads into post-primary language classrooms - more so than in primary schools - most schools have yet to adopt it widely. Those that do are exploring its use to enhance engagement and potentially support grammar, translation, and speaking practice.
The findings were carried out by Dr Ian Collen and Dr Jayne Duff at Queen's University Belfast on behalf of British Council Northern Ireland.
Speaking about the research findings, Dr Collen said: “Artificial Intelligence is not just a buzzword; it’s a transformative force that is shaping industries, societies, and the way we learn languages. Our research suggests that AI is underdeveloped in local classrooms; yesterday’s launch of the Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum presents an opportunity to align language pedagogy with powerful knowledge from and through AI, enriching pupils’ learning and fostering skills which are relevant today and in the future.”
Also commenting on the research was Jonathan Stewart, Director, British Council Northern Ireland, he said: “We are encouraged by the positive trends revealed in this report - especially the growth in language learning at primary level and the growing number of schools offering exams in home, heritage and community languages.
“At the British Council, we understand that learning a language fosters connections, trust, and understanding between people, communities, and countries. Through our Language Assistant Programme and our other international school programmes, we help connect Northern Ireland’s schools and young people with peers worldwide, enriching language learning through genuine cultural exchange and global perspectives. Language skills and international experiences are essential valuable assets for Northern Ireland’s future, particularly as young people face an increasingly complex and interconnected global landscape.”
The Language Trends Northern Ireland report will officially launch today (Wednesday, 4 June) at Cliftonville Integrated Primary School - a designated School of Sanctuary where 17 different languages are spoken.
To read the full report and find out more about Language Trends Northern Ireland, visit: https://nireland.britishcouncil.org/programmes/education/language-trends or follow #LanguageTrendsNI on Twitter.
The British Council is the UK’s leading cultural relations organisation, creating global opportunities in arts and culture, education and the English language. For more information on current opportunities in Northern Ireland, visit nireland.britishcouncil.org, or follow on X, Facebook or Instagram.
The full Language Trends Northern Ireland report 2025 can be downloaded here: https://nireland.britishcouncil.org/programmes/education/language-trends