Summer in suspense

Modern languages staff at Oxford Brookes University must wait until the end of August to learn if their jobs are safe following a decision to axe Spanish and German degrees.

In a meeting with lecturers' union Natfhe officials this week, university managers invited academics to submit suggestions for reforms by the end of July, and said they would finalise their own plans by the end of August.

Last week, the university confirmed that it was to phase out degrees in Spanish and German from next year because of a decline in applications.