In its final report, the inquiry made the following recommendations:

• Designate languages a key skill
  Languages, by virtue of their direct contribution to economic competitiveness, intercultural tolerance and social cohesion, should have the status of a key skill alongside literacy, numeracy and ICT.
  
• Drive forward a national strategy
  The government should establish a national strategy for developing capability in languages in the UK and a system capable of supporting such a strategy.
  
• Appoint a languages supremo
  The task would be to work at the highest level with government departments, national agencies, employers and the general public to ensure successful implementation of the national strategy for languages. To be effective, the supremo should be attached to the Cabinet Office and have direct access to the Prime Minister.
  
• Raise the profile of languages
  The government should arrange for a sustained campaign to promote positive attitudes towards languages, raise awareness of their potential and foster a culture where using more than one language is seen as an attainable goal for the majority.
  
• Give young children a flying start
  The government should declare a firm commitment to early language learning for all children and invest in the long-term policies necessary for pupils to learn a new language from age 7. To spearhead this commitment, it should fund international primary schools and introduce Language Awareness into the National Literacy Strategy.
  
• Improve arrangements in secondary schools
  Language learning in the secondary school sector should be uprated to provide a wider range of languages, a more flexible menu to cater better for different needs, abilities and interests, and more use of information technology. All pupils should leave secondary education equipped with foundation language skills, grammatical understanding and the skills for further learning in later life.
  
• Make languages a specified component of the 16-19 curriculum
  A language should be a requirement for university entry and for designated vocational qualifications. For the majority in the 16-19 age group who do not wish to specialise in languages there should be a range of attractive courses to extend existing language skills or acquire new languages. There is scope to incorporate these in the Key Skills initiative.
  
• Reform the organisation and funding of languages in higher education
  A national agenda for languages in higher education should be agreed as a matter of urgency to ensure a sufficient supply of language specialists nationally and the entitlement of all students to learn a language as part of their degree course. Development should be a planned and managed process with full regard for national language needs.
  
• Develop the huge potential of language learning in adult life
  The government should take strategic responsibility for lifelong language learning in order to ensure the investment, collaboration and consultation needed to respond to the demand and drive up standards.
  
• Break out of the vicious circle of inadequate teacher supply
  The minister responsible for the recruitment of teachers should implement a series of radical short-term measures to attract more language teachers, alongside the long-term solution of making post-16 language study a requirement for entry to higher education and therefore to initial teacher training.
  
• Establish a national standards framework for describing and accrediting language competence
  The framework should embrace the Council of Europe Framework and existing UK qualifications both in education and the world of employment. It should be clear, transparent and couched in terms which are intelligible to non-specialist users.
  
• Co-ordinate initiatives linking technology and languages
  The national strategy for languages should support and co-ordinate existing pioneering ICT initiatives and ensure that the potential of new technologies is fully exploited in language teaching and learning.