Spanish is now the world's coolest language, so why do British schools still favour French?

The article notes Spanish has far more native speakers worldwide and growing cultural influence, yet as of 2025 far more English primary schools offered French than Spanish. It also reports that in August 2025 Spanish became the most popular language GCSE in England for the first time.

The author argues that Spanish has become culturally prominent and more globally useful, yet Britain’s school systems continue to favour teaching French. He describes learning Spanish as an adult, and reflects that starting languages younger helps long-term fluency. The piece contrasts worldwide speaker numbers and school offerings to show a gap between global language trends and classroom practice. It also notes growing pupil interest in Spanish at GCSE level. Key facts: - Spanish is reported as the world’s second-most-spoken first language, with about 484 million native speakers; French is reported with about 74 million native speakers. - As of 2025, French was offered in roughly 70% of England’s primary schools, while Spanish was offered in about 26%. - At GCSE level last year, around 90% of schools offered French and about 76% offered Spanish, but in August 2025 Spanish became the most popular language GCSE in England with over 136,000 entries compared with just under 133,000 for French. - A developmental psychology lecturer, Dr Eleonore Smalle, told the UN that learning a new language becomes harder from about age 12 and that younger children learn languages largely through passive exposure. - The author reports living and working in Argentina and Colombia, and cites the rising global profile of Hispanic music and artists such as Bad Bunny and Rosalía as part of Spanish’s cultural momentum. Summary: The article highlights a tension between global language usage and what is taught in many English schools, noting pupils’ choices are shifting toward Spanish even while French remains more widely offered. The piece frames this as a gap between changing cultural and practical language trends and existing school provision. Undetermined at this time.