London is the only region where GCSE language uptake has risen

According to a study published by the British Council, London is the only region in the country where the percentage of pupils taking language GCSES has risen over the past three years.

In addition to this, the report shows that there is a widening gap between the take-up of language between pupils in London and the rest of the country,

Inner London has the biggest rise, from 62 per cent in 2014 to 65 per cent last year.

Outer London has seen the only other rise in that three year period, from 60 per cent to 61 per cent.

Fewer pupils in the north-east are learning a language, with the number of pupils participating in a language GCSE down 43 per cent from 45 per cent in 2014.

The north-west saw a drop from 51 per cent three years ago to 48 per cent last year and the east Midlands from 49 per cent to 46 per cent.

The 10 local authorities in the country with the highest proportion of pupils who took a language GCSE last summer were all in London, except for York which ranked ninth.