are schools in england teaching second languages?

The Brits don't learn 'foreign languages' - even though they've got a lot of 'foreigners' in the UK:

Jay Doubleyou: global britain: seeing the languages of immigrants as an asset to be nurtured

It hasn't been made easy with Brexit - as there are not enough the sort of 'foreigners' who teach languages in schools:

Jay Doubleyou: the uk's critical shortage of foreign language teachers

It's not getting any better:

Language learning is still in decline in England's schools | British Council

Learning another language is not compulsory in England:

According to government guidelines, it is not compulsory for you to study a foreign language at GCSE (or in Scotland). However, in Wales, while you do not have to study a foreign language it is compulsory for you to study both English and Welsh as a part of your GCSEs.
Some schools (especially private schools) may choose to make studying a language at GCSE compulsory for their students. Doing a language at GCSE can be great for your personal and professional growth as it can teach you a number of skills that you can use later on in life.

Do You Have to do a Language at GCSE? - Think Student

There are many who think it should become a must in schools:

Learning foreign languages should be compulsory, says report | Languages | The Guardian

Here are the latest trends from the British Council:

Headline findings 

The headline findings for 2023 include: 

• Almost nine out of ten responding primary schools have some pupils for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL). 

• The 2023 data reflect a positive increase in the number of primary schools in contact with secondary schools concerning language education. 

• French remains the most popular language at Key Stage 3, followed closely by Spanish in both state and independent sectors. 

• German is the third most popular curricular language, but entries are much higher in the independent sector. 

• For the fourth year running, Spanish continues to have the highest number of A-level entries. 

• Schools’ international engagement is improving since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

• Further study is required to observe how parents’/carers’ attitudes to languages can affect pupils’ desire to study a language.

language_trends_england_2023.pdf

With more here:

News in Numbers: Which languages are most popular in English schools? - E L Gazette

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