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Fury as Ukrainian children told to study Russian in British schools
The Government has apologised to Ukrainian children who were encouraged to study Russian for GCSE because schools did not offer an equivalent qualification in Ukrainian. Schools minister Georgia Gould said some pupils had effectively been forced to choose Russian, and announced a new Ukrainian-language GCSE to recognise their skills and help them maintain ties to their language and identity.
More than 30,000 Ukrainian children have come to the UK since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Examination board AQA is developing the qualification with £340,000 in Department for Education funding; it is expected to be taught from September 2028, with first exams in 2029. It will cover listening, speaking, reading and writing, be open to all pupils, and also be offered in Wales and Northern Ireland.
In short
- The Government apologised over Ukrainian pupils being steered towards Russian GCSEs.
- A Ukrainian GCSE is planned for teaching from September 2028.
- First exams are expected in 2029, with the qualification open to all pupils.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Ukrainian pupils should be able to gain a recognised qualification in their own language, especially after displacement has made links to language and identity important. Offering Russian as the only available option could leave children feeling pressured to study the language of the country that invaded theirs, so a Ukrainian GCSE addresses a clear gap in provision.
The case against
Schools and exam boards have to work within limited budgets and capacity, and Russian may have been the only established qualification available while demand for Ukrainian provision was developing. A GCSE takes time and public funding to create, so officials could reasonably weigh the needs of Ukrainian-speaking pupils against other education priorities and consider how best to provide language learning during the years before the new course is ready.
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