This tool is designed to help member states reflect on and assess to what extent plurilingual and intercultural education is being implemented at lower secondary level in line with the Council of Europe’s Recommendation on The Importance of Plurilingual and Intercultural Education for Democratic Culture (Recommendation CM/Rec (2022) 1). By identifying strengths and areas for improvement, member states can plan steps to strengthen implementation.

An analysis of submitted responses will result in a European Language Education Profile where overall tendencies and examples of promising practice in Council of Europe member states will be presented.  In this way, member states can learn from one another and identified gaps will help guide the future direction of the Language Policy Programme.  

The survey targets policy makers and education authorities involved in language education at lower secondary level. Therefore, if you are a policy maker or a member of the education authority/ies of a Council of Europe member state, we invite you to go to the page below to request a link to the survey, where you will need to fill out a short form with your contact details. If you are eligible to take the survey, the Council of Europe's Education Department will contact you with a link to access the survey. 

The content of the survey is also of interest to other language professionals such as teachers and teacher educators. If you are a teacher or a teacher educator, please feel free to download the survey and to discuss it with your colleagues. Please note, however, only policy makers / education authorities can submit an online response.

The tool is structured into five main sections: Whole school approach; Learners’ home languages; Language(s) of schooling; Additional languages in the curriculum; Pedagogical practice and resources. Each section contains indicators which are directly linked to the Measures in the Recommendation (2022)1 and which describe ways in which plurilingual, and intercultural education may be implemented in policy, practice, and teacher education. To accompany the survey tool a Policy Toolbox has been developed to support respondents, offering definitions, explanations of key topics, and links to important Council of Europe resources for both policy makers and teacher educators.

Careful preparation is recommended before using the online version of the Survey Tool. Based on experience from the piloting phase, we suggest the following steps:

• Using the Word version of the Survey Tool, please review the key topic areas to determine what expertise and information are needed.

• Form a team of colleagues with expertise in policy/curricula, as well as in pre- and in-service teacher education. It would also be wise to include colleagues with a sound knowledge of what is happening in classrooms, such as inspectors, pedagogical advisors or heads of departments, depending on your education system.  This breadth of expertise will help ensure that together you are able to identify key challenges and success stories in the implementation of plurilingual and intercultural education in your educational context.

• Organise an initial meeting/online exchange to agree on your approach and ensure that everyone is familiar with CM Rec (2022)1 by using this Familiarisation Tool.  Set team members the task of reading the indicators in the Word version, and making notes, consulting the linked Toolbox entries where needed.

• Come back together to discuss

• Complete the online tool, ensuring that all responses are reviewed, edited, and accurate before submission to the Council of Europe.

Click here to listen and read about Ireland’s experience of piloting the Reflection and Planning Survey Tool.

Kenia Puig, Teaching and Learning Manager at Post-Primary Languages Ireland and Coordinator of the ECML ARPIDE Project (Using ECML resources to support plurilingual and intercultural education for democratic culture) reflects on lessons learned from piloting the Reflection and Planning Survey Tool and on the benefits for all those involved.

After submitting your responses to the Survey Tool, you may be invited to participate in a voluntary follow-up meeting. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the results, consider examples of inspiring practice that could be shared with other member states and receive advice on possible next steps, including the possibility of requesting a national or regional Language Education Profile and Action Plan.