A selection of language-related events. Does not claim to be comprehensive or represent the views of SCILT.
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Online
System Learn presents a national seminar on headship for Gaelic Education in secondary. An unmissable opportunity for headteachers of settings which provide Gaelic Medium Education (GME) at secondary level.
Places are extremely limited, but every GME setting in Scotland has one place reserved for their Headteacher, and every local authority has one place reserved for a local authority officer with responsibility for Gaelic.
Please be aware that the target audience for this event is professionals within the education sector in Scotland. The event is aimed at senior school leaders or local authority officers, NOT classroom teachers or principal teachers.
Visit the website for more information and to book your place.
More information
Open to all primary and secondary practitioners who teach – or would like to teach – German in their context, this network offers colleagues a chance to share experiences, practice and ideas to enable German to grow in Scottish schools.
If you are not yet on our direct mailing list, please visit the website to sign up for our next meeting by Friday 21 February. Wir freuen uns Euch zu sehen!
Glasgow
Come along to the Alliance Française in Glasgow to support a student debate in French followed by a documentary on what it's like to be 18 for Speak up night 2025!
The teams from Strathclyde University and Glasgow University will be prepared to argue the following statements:
The teams won't know which side they should defend until just before the start of the debate!
Visit the website for more information and to register for the free event.
This online taster event is being run by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King's College London.
The event is aimed at Year 11 & 12 (GCSE or equivalent) students of French and provides an opportunity to learn about studying languages at degree level (in the context of a modern languages degree or a joint degree).
Visit the website for more information and to register for the free online event.
Parents and carers of pupils S3 upwards are warmly invited to join this online session to find out about free online learning opportunities from Scholar and e-Sgoil to help support learners working towards SQA national qualifications.
Visit the website for more information and to register for the webinar.
Model UN events are where young people simulate representing a country in the UN General Assembly and negotiate resolutions.
Engage with China's annual, climate-change themed Model UN will take place on Friday 28 February 2025 at 1000 – 1400 GMT. Enable your pupils, aged 15-18, to join in our high-calibre debate, negotiating with peers from around the world (China, Africa and South America) dialling in across multiple time-zones. They do not need to have studied Mandarin as the event is in English but for those who have we offer the chance to make a short video welcome or to speak live in Mandarin to welcome the Chinese participants.
The theme is Climate Change and the environment including many of the resolutions being negotiated at COP29 in November 2024.
Six Resolutions:
Engage with China will be running two workshops before the event for schools new to participating in MUN’s and anyone needing assistance or a refresher.
Visit the website for more information or view the attached flyer and registration form. Please note there is a cost to attend.
Interdisciplinary learning (IDL) is vital to an engaging primary curriculum, and languages bring a vibrant local and global perspective to any IDL context. Careful planning, meaningful activities and relevant curricular content is key to meaningful cross-curricular learning.
In this workshop experienced primary practitioners will share how they incorporate languages into their IDL practice. You will have access to a curated digital resource signposting up to date materials. The aim of the workshop is to inspire you to include more languages content in the interdisciplinary learning you do with your pupils.
This is a SCILT open access workshop for primary teachers and primary education students in Scotland.
This online taster session is being run by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King's College London.
The event is aimed at students in Year 12 and Year 13 (final year A Level/IB or equivalent students) or anyone who is thinking of starting their undergraduate studies in September 2026.
The session will provide an opportunity to learn about studying languages at degree level and offers a taste of what a degree in Spanish and/or Portuguese will be like, with KCL's joint programmes with History, Management, and Philosophy.
Join the Primary Languages Network's practical session to grow your confidence and knowledge of key phonics in Primary French.
This session is for subject leads, teachers and support staff involved in teaching French in a primary setting.
Being held as part of Express Yourself, the NE Festival of Languages, these fun-filled online German taster sessions with the Goethe-Institut are perfect for primary aged children eager to learn their first words of German through engaging and interactive activities. No prior knowledge of German is required and both sessions are open to all UK primary schools.
Dates: 3 & 7 March 2025
Visit the website for more information and how to register.
Edinburgh
What kinds of spoken French do we find in contemporary song and screen culture? What can the broad range of language varieties evidenced in songs and on screen contribute to the teaching of French?
This conference with Dr David Evans and Dr Pauline Souleau (University of St Andrews) aims to discuss the value of harnessing oral French and new forms of media in the classroom, and how they can help us to reconsider the place of non-standard forms in language teaching and learning, to design new forms of assessment, and to develop students’ transferable skills.
Join Futbol Lingo for a motivational webinar for secondary schools, using football as a vehicle to inspire a generation of future linguists.
The webinar will include stories and experiences from around the globe, involving languages and football. Pupils will gain an understanding of the importance of speaking different languages and how impactful they can be in the football industry and the range of careers in the sector.
The event forms part of the Express Yourself, North East Festival of Languages, but is open to schools across the UK.
Visit the website for more information and to register for the online MS Teams event.
The final workshop in the Supporting EAL learners series hosted by Kirsten Barrett is aimed at primary school teachers working with EAL students.
Visit the website for more information and to register for the online event.
Kenilworth
Language World is the annual conference and training event of the Association for Language Learning. It is a highlight of the year for teachers of all languages and attracts hundreds of participants each day from across all sectors. Delegates have the opportunity to listen to and be inspired by keynote speakers, attend workshops, reflect and debate as they look together at key areas relevant to their own context.
The theme of Language World 2025 is Weaving a rich tapestry: our languages, our world(s).
The theme centres around cherishing the richness of our multilingual and multicultural world and the diverse, personal, lived experiences of languages educators and all learners.
Registration for the event is now open!
Developed to inspire pupils to progress with languages and choose them at GCSE, this webinar will introduce speakers from different backgrounds who will talk about their own language learning journey, the languages that they have learned, where they have travelled to, the skills that learning languages can bring and how they use languages in their work.
Organised by British Council and hosted on Microsoft Teams Live, the event forms part of Express Yourself, the North East Festival of Languages, and is open to all Year 8 & 9 (S1 & S2 Scotland) pupils across the UK.
Visit the website for more information and to register your school's attendance. Check what else is on at the Festival as most online events are open to all UK schools!
This year, SCEN is pleased to host a joint lecture with China Futures Society (CFS) at the University of Edinburgh. Max Browning will present an inspiring talk 'Mandarin Matters: Navigating China's Complexities and Opportunities.'
Max will speak from his experience as a Mandarin student at the University of Edinburgh, his work in establishing the One Scotland organisation, his postgraduate experience in higher education in Beijing, and his current work in the industry based in London.
The talk will be followed by a networking opportunity. People who are associated with SCEN or interested in or involved with China or with language learning will be able to engage face-to-face. Refreshments will be available on arrival and during the networking portion of the evening.
School and university students are particularly welcome to attend this event.
Visit the website to register. Limited places available!
Join us live on Zoom for an exciting virtual German and Music Workshop, hosted by the Goethe-Institut UK in collaboration with the Munich Supercrew!
The workshop is designed for German learners in Years 5 to 11, offering engaging songs and activities to make language learning enjoyable.
Open to school classes across the UK, visit the website for more information and to register for the event. Note there is an accompanying classroom resource to prepare students for the workshop.
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