Spanish as a heritage language in non-formal educational settings in the United Kingdom: teachers’ profiles, challenges and self-efficacy beliefs

This study investigates the profiles, challenges, and self-efficacy beliefs of teachers of Spanish as a heritage language in non-formal educational contexts in the UK, specifically in the ALCE (Agrupaciones de Lengua y Cultura Españolas ‘Spanish Language and Culture Group’) programme and the NERU (Nuestra Escuela Reino Unido ‘Our School United Kingdom’) supplementary school network. Based on survey data from 35 teachers, results reveal a general lack of formal training in heritage language pedagogy, particularly among NERU teachers, who also face greater structural challenges such as limited resources, unstable facilities, and lack of institutional support. While both groups report high levels of teaching self-efficacy, ALCE teachers consistently show stronger confidence, especially in areas like assessment and methodology. The study highlights the gap between perceived and actual pedagogical preparedness and underscores the urgent need for accessible, practical, and context-specific training. Findings inform the development of sustainable teacher education initiatives and advocate for greater institutional recognition of heritage language educators to ensure more equitable and effective support for multilingual learners across the UK.