Language Trends Scotland 2025-26 is the second annual survey of language teaching in Scottish schools, providing an independent and comprehensive picture of modern language provision across the primary, secondary and independent sectors. 

At a time when international connections and cross-cultural understanding matter more than ever, this research identifies both strengths and challenges in the system.

 The report, conducted by Queen's University Belfast, is based on responses from 169 local authority primary schools, 114 local authority secondary schools and 12 independent schools across 29 of Scotland's 32 local authorities. It forms part of the wider Language Trends series, which covers all UK nations.

Key findings include:

• Higher entries in French, German and Spanish have risen for the second consecutive year, from 5,885 to 6,110 (up four per cent), but remain 16 per cent below pre-pandemic levels
• 99 per cent of responding primary schools are teaching languages, with one in five embedding language learning into daily classroom routines
• Structural barriers are increasing: classes do not run in 59 per cent of responding local authority secondary schools if numbers are too low (up from 52 per cent last year), with over a third now requiring a minimum of 10 pupils
• Access to language learning is uneven: over 70 per cent of schools in the most deprived areas report classes not running due to low numbers, compared to 50 per cent in the most affluent areas
• Teachers reported over 100 different home and heritage languages spoken in responding secondary schools, while heritage language exam provision has increased from 29 per cent to 36 per cent.