Most Qld kids don’t learn languages any more, but these schools are bucking the trend

Kitty Stoneley learnt Spanish at school, even taking her maths and history classes en español. But she’s among a shrinking group of young Queenslanders choosing a language as a QCE subject.

In the 1960s, about 40 per cent of Australian students learnt a foreign or classical language in their senior year – usually French, Latin or German – before universities began to drop their requirement for a second language.

Since then, numbers have plummeted. Brisbane Times analysis of Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority data reveals fewer than 6 per cent of Year 12 students now choose to learn a language.

UQ student Kitty Stoneley, who visited Spain last year as part of her Year 12 studies, at the University of Salamanca.

The subject with the steepest decline, Chinese, was studied by just 383 students this year, down from 621 in 2020, while enrolments in Japanese decreased 12 per cent.

University of Queensland lecturer Lester Ford said the high number of Queensland students who grew up speaking Chinese made it a low-scaling subject for ATAR – and therefore an unattractive option even for non-native speakers.

Despite the decline, languages are a drawcard at a dozen Queensland public schools that offer immersion programs, enabling students to learn much of their curriculum in a language other than English.

Indooroopilly State High School, arguably a victim of its own success as it struggles with capacity issues, offers a selective immersion program from Years 7 to 9. It has the largest single language program of any Brisbane school, with 72 students choosing Spanish in Year 12 this year.

Stoneley, who graduated from Indooroopilly High last year, did not have a background in Spanish before entering the program.

“I’m really grateful I did it because it has opened up so many doors for me at university,” she said.

The 19-year-old is studying a bachelor of international studies, majoring in Spanish and international relations, at the University of Queensland.

“I really want to work in embassies and the foreign communication field, so I think Spanish will really help,” she said.

“It’s one of the most spoken languages in the world.”

In most Queensland state schools, students are taught languages from Years 5 to 8. While schools are encouraged to teach a language from Prep to Year 12, it is not compulsory from Year 9.

Languages are offered at 225 government primary and high schools in Brisbane, with Japanese the most commonly offered – at 86 schools – followed by Chinese (44) and French (27).

At the government’s two selective-entry academies in Brisbane, learning a language is a compulsory part of the International Baccalaureate.

Alex Holdcroft, now a first-year student at UQ, said the requirement meant she initially baulked at studying at the Queensland Academies Creative Industries. It meant she was unable to study all three science subjects she had planned under the ATAR system.

But after replacing physics with Spanish, Holdcroft said learning a language proved valuable, providing cultural insights and a break from her STEM subjects.

She is now studying maths and engineering, and has caught up on the physics she missed at school.

Alex Holdcroft is studying maths and engineering at The University of Queensland.

“Despite my initial hesitation, I found [Spanish] a relatively easy subject and really enjoyed learning the different structures, noticing patterns and seeing myself improve,” she said.

The Brisbane school with the most students learning French in Year 12 this year was Mansfield State High School, while Kenmore State High had the biggest German program.

The school with the most students tackling a language overall was Brisbane State High, with 128 learning Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese or Spanish.

The independent school with the most Year 12s choosing a language was Brisbane Girls Grammar School, with French, German, Japanese and Chinese.

Griffith University multilingualism lecturer Dr Danielle H. Heinrichs said students decided against a language if they had a timetable clash with a university prerequisite, or they might worry about how scaling could affect their ATAR.

But Heinrichs said there were many reasons to study a language, including cognitive benefits, career advancement, intercultural awareness, and empathy.

“I think we do need to start tapping into some of these other ideas that are harder to automate, they’re harder for technology to do,” she said.

A state education department spokesman said principals, in consultation with the school community, chose the languages to be taught from the Australian curriculum.

QCAA chief executive Jacqueline Wilton said enrolment fluctuations were more apparent in subjects with smaller enrolments.

Some subjects surged, such as literature, with students more than doubling to 5513 this year.

Other Year 12 subjects becoming more popular were those aligned with top university course offers or job prospects in Queensland, such as psychology and engineering.

About 1000 fewer students chose drama – a 28 per cent decrease since 2020 – while enrolments in dance dropped 32 per cent.

Start the day with a summary of the most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.