Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many classroom language assistants were placed in maintained schools in each of the last five years; and what assessment they have made, if any, of how this compares to the numbers in independent schools.

The department continues to welcome talented individuals to teach or train to teach in the UK, including through the Language Assistants programme. UK schools can continue to benefit from the presence of a Modern Language Assistant (MLA) by applying through the official programme managed by the British Council on behalf of the department and devolved administrations.

In the 2022/23 academic year, the department has seen a 29% increase in requests to host MLAs in the UK, from 506 to 653 MLAs supporting the teaching of languages in schools of all types across the country. The MLAs will come from 14 partner destinations worldwide.

The British Council and the department recognise the importance and impact MLAs can have in both maintained and independent schools, and therefore encourage and welcome applications from all types of educational institutions. The British Council has introduced more flexibility to make the programme more affordable and appealing to schools, which includes flexible periods of appointment and offering schools in the UK the option to apply for shorter posts of under 6 months which reduces the overall cost.

A UK-wide breakdown of the number of British Council MLAs in maintained and independent schools over the last five years is set out below:

(Data provided by British Council, correct as of 23 May 2022)