Latest News

A selection of language-related news. Does not claim to be comprehensive or represent the views of SCILT.

Latest News

7 November 2025 (Languages@Strathclyde)

Languages@Strathclyde is very pleased to announce the programme for the Living Languages Series 2025-26.

This year’s series will include a rich variety of guests, and we are looking to welcoming you to one or more of the events. The interdisciplinary nature of the events, linked to business, sport, cinema, journalism…, should make them appealing to a variety of students. Teachers are welcome to bring a group of Higher or Advanced Higher students to these events.

Welcome to the Living Languages Series 2025-26!

A series of conversations organised by Languages@Strathclyde and focusing on the theme of employability.

The Living Languages Series is an opportunity to hear from high-profile guests, and early career graduates, from a variety of sectors, talking about the role languages have played, and continue to play, in their professional lives.

For this season, we are very pleased to introduce a very exciting list of guests who will share their experiences of using languages in a professional setting. For each event, the relaxed conversation format will also allow audience participation.

Living Languages 2025-26 Programme

Thursday 23rd October, 5.30pm – Shaping Afro-Gael Identity: Cò Sinn? (Who are we?)

In conversation with Cass Ezeji, artist and Gaelic speaker.

Monday 24th November 5.30pm – Where are they now in 2025 ? Stories from recent graduates

In conversation with Tsara Mirza Reina (Harper Macleod LLP)​, Alice Green (Ian Macleod Distillers-Edinburgh Gin)​ and
Freya Young (Outside the Box Development Support + Southside Housing Association)

Tickets available now ► Eventbrite

Monday 2nd February, 5.30pm – A conversation with James Albon, illustrator and graphic novelist and the owners of La belle adventure bookshop

Tickets available soon


All tickets are free and you will get the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the conversation.

Join us for a series of very special evenings !

The Organising Committee for LLS 25-26 is Francesca Perazio, Raquel Martinez Martin, Victoria Reina-Gil, Joan-Emilie Lefever, Cédric Moreau, Lucie Piochaud-Prévost

7 November 2025 (Languages Week Scotland)

Join us from 2 – 6 February 2026 to celebrate Languages Week Scotland. The theme is Diverse Voices, Common Ground, and it will be an opportunity to celebrate language learning and multilingualism in Scotland. Look out for events taking place across the country!  

Languages enable us to explore our differences and appreciate our shared stories, through our many tongues, and everyone is welcome to participate in Languages Week Scotland: educational establishments, community-based groups, arts and sports organisations, social enterprises, and businesses of all sizes.   

Visit our website to find out what's happening and to join in! Languages Week Scotland is also on Instagram - look out for lots of exciting content over the next few months!

Read more...

6 November 2025 (Language Angels / SCILT)

Language Angels offers a wide raft of teaching materials, resources and professional learning activities that support primary teachers to create and lead high-quality lessons in French, Spanish, and Italian.  Supported by staff at Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT), their materials align with the standards and expectations of the Scottish Curriculum and Scotland’s languages policy, giving confidence and support to all teachers to deliver active, engaging, and exciting language lessons that children will enjoy while progressing their language skills.

On behalf of Scotland’s schools, SCILT has negotiated year-long access for only £1 to all their materials for any state primary school in any local authority where they are added to the procurement list. 

See the flyer for more information, and get you school signed up for this fantastic offer. 

Read more...


Related Files

6 November 2025 (Seachdain na Gàidhlig )

The fifth Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week), will take place Monday 23rd February – Sunday 1st March 2026.

This year’s theme is 'Cleachd i no caill i' (Use it or lose it), and we’d be delighted if you would join us in celebrating Gaelic across Scotland and around the world.

Schools programme

We’ll once again be offering a series of free, interactive online sessions for schools. These have proved hugely popular, with thousands of pupils taking part each year. Teachers can find details and book via our website. 

Stay connected

Our posts will be over on Facebook and Instagram (@sngaidhlig) - we’d really appreciate if you could give them a share /like and use #SeachdainNaGàidhlig2026. 

Our website is now fully updated with resources, ideas, and this year’s theme. We’d encourage you to take a look, download materials, and share them with your networks.

 

Read more...

6 November 2025 (Seachdain na Gàidhlig )

Seachdain na Gàidhlig is looking for young people, youth-led projects, schools, organisations and cultural and community groups who are helping Gaelic shine!

If you or your group are using Gaelic to make a difference with young people, they want to hear from you.

Selected stories will be featured in our national Seachdain na Gàidhlig online daily schools’ sessions this February which hundreds of primary schools across Scotland participate in. We will visit you and create a short film to spotlight your work with filming to take place in January 2026.

 

6 November 2025 (UK-German Connection)

Is your school hosting a Language Assistant from Germany? Encourage them to register for our Cultural Exchange Ambassadors network for Language Assistants in the UK and Germany. As an Ambassador, they organise and lead intercultural and bilateral projects for their pupils, developing professional competencies and bringing cultural exchange to life.

Registrations close 10 November.

Read more...

6 November 2025 (Herald)

Key Scottish companies and young Scots are losing out due to the spiralling decline in school leavers with language qualifications, a leading academic has warned.

Read more...

4 November 2025 (IFE)

While the streets of Edinburgh are starting to sparkle with Christmas lights, why not take your pupils to a screening at the Institut français d’Ecosse in December?

Rise (En corps) by Cédric Klapisch, 2022 | Thursday 11 December at 11am and 1pm

Vicky and Her Mystery (Mystère) by Denis Imbert, 2021 | Tuesday 16 December at 11am

Sugar and Stars (A la belle étoile) by Sébastien Tulard, 2023 | Tuesday 16 December at 1pm

Read more...

4 November 2025 (CISS)

Each year, CISS facilitates scholarships for school leavers to study Mandarin for nine months at Tianjin Normal University in China. This year's group of 21 scholars left for China on 10 September and are now exploring their new life and studies in Tianjin.

For October our groups of scholars have been writing about different topics - food, studying, and tours of Tianjin. Watch them try a snack tasting, see photos of the top sights in Tianjin, and find out what studying is like at a Chinese university. 

Why not share these blogs and vlogs with your learners, and show them where language learning could take them in their future? Read or watch October's updates on the CISS website via the link below. 

Read more...

31 October 2025 (TES)

Making an effort to learn the language of your host country is respectful to parents, boosts your confidence and adds to the je ne sais quoi of international school life, says this teacher.

Read more...

28 October 2025 (British Council)

International Education Week this year runs from 17 to 21 November. Throughout the week, there’ll be inspirational events for you to join online with your pupils, such as our Where will languages take me? online webinar on 18 November. We’ll have new classroom resources and lots of ideas to help you celebrate the world in your classroom.

Visit the British Council website for more information and to register for the IEW newsletter for updates.

Read more...

28 October 2025 (QFI)

The Qatar Foundation International, LLC (“QFI”) invites students to showcase their skills in the Arabic language by taking part in the 2025-26 Arabic Speaking Competition (ASC). 

Secondary students (approx. ages 11-18) currently enrolled in Arabic classes in countries in which QFI currently works (Canada, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States) are eligible to participate. Schools are limited to 10 entries. All entries must go through a teacher, tutor, or administrator; no student should submit their own entry.

Closing date for entries is 10 December 2025.

Visit the QFI website for full details and submission guidelines.

Read more...

28 October 2025 (SQA)

The SQA has now published the 2025 German and Italian course reports.

These can be found on the Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage within the Course Reports dropdown section.

Read more...

28 October 2025 (Book Week Scotland)

The annual celebration of books and reading will take place across Scotland on 17–23 November 2025.

Visit the Book Week Scotland website to discover this year's submissions to Scotland's Stories, the publication collated each year for Book Week. You can search for entries in Gaelic and Scots on this year's theme of 'Friendship' and discover venues for the Scriever and Freens Tour to hear the Scots leid.

Read more...

28 October 2025 (SRUK)

Organised by the Council of Spanish Residents (CRE) in collaboration with the Society of Spanish Researchers in the UK, the main goal is to foster interest in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and to challenge gender stereotypes that still limit the presence of young women in these fields.

Both events are free to attend, last approximately 90 minutes and will be held in Spanish.

Edinburgh: Saturday, 15 November 2025

Glasgow: Saturday, 22 November 2025

Visit the website for more information and registration link.

Read more...

23 October 2025 (SCILT)

The Sustainable Designs for Living and Learning (SDLL) team is excited to announce the launch of its new blog to share insights and progress from its innovative three-year research project: Sustainable Designs for Living and Learning: Embedding Multilingualism into Learning for Sustainability.

This multi-partner project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) explores how sustainability, languages education, and the arts can intertwine to foster creative and regenerative learning. Our blog will feature stories, reflections, and creative insights from our work with schools and partners, showcasing how sustainability, languages, and the arts come together in practice. We’ll share project updates which we hope will inspire educators and communities to explore new, regenerative ways of living and learning, so follow along and be part of the journey!

Visit our SDLL blog to find out more about the project and our journey so far!

Read more...

23 October 2025 (UK-German Connection)

Is your school hosting a Language Assistant from Germany? Encourage them to register for our Cultural Exchange Ambassadors network for Language Assistants in the UK and Germany. As an Ambassador, they organise and lead intercultural and bilateral projects for their pupils, developing professional competencies and bringing cultural exchange to life.

Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information. Registrations close 10 November 2025.

Read more...

17 October 2025 (GCHQ)

GCHQ, one of the UK’s intelligence agencies, is running its annual National Language Competition (NLC) 17-21 November 2025.

All Year 9 (England and Wales) / S2 (Scotland) / Year 10 (N Ireland) students are welcome to take part, including home educated children.

Schools/groups can enter multiple teams of up to four.

Over the course of five days, teams will compete to score points by tackling a variety of fun, immersive, language themed challenges of varying difficulty levels hosted on a virtual platform. No prior knowledge is required, only a keenness for languages. The winning team with the most points at the end of the competition will be invited to GCHQ’s Headquarters in Cheltenham, to be presented with their trophy!

Visit the competition website for more information and to register.

Read more...

17 October 2025 (The Edinburgh Reporter)

Three Edinburgh venues are showing films which are part of the French Film Festival UK programme.

The 33rd edition of the festival will take place from 6 November to 14 December in more than 40 locations in the UK.

[..] More than 25,000 pupils around the UK will watch French-language films as part of a specially curated Schools programme while community cinemas in rural and coastal locations will also have a chance to join the celebration.

Read more...

14 October 2025 (HEPI)

This guest blog was kindly authored by Dr Charlotte Ryland, Director of the Translation Exchange. 

‘Languages are not just a skillset, they’re a mindset.’ 

I still remember where I was when a teacher friend made this comment, a few years ago, because it highlighted something I’d been worrying at for a long time. I felt that languages education for young learners undervalued the process of language learning itself, by underrating what it means to be a linguist. That value needed to be completely reframed: to move far beyond the notion that language learning gives you a set of useful communicative skills – the ‘utility argument’ – towards a more holistic and ambitious vision of the linguist’s mindset. 

Read more...

11 October 2025 (BBC)

After learning languages in school, Reuben Constantine found a podcast entirely in French, and found it satisfying that he could understand what was being said.

That kickstarted an interest in learning about other languages. He is currently speaking and learning 11 in total - making him a polyglot.

Now at 23, he has almost 120,000 followers on Instagram, and uses his skills to teach other people how to learn languages online.

Read more...

6 October 2025 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) helps schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to develop young people’s learning about the world of work, the value of language skills, and global and intercultural competencies.

Our most recent verification date in May 2025 saw seven schools achieve an award across three of our SLEA branches. Find a list of award winners, and links to details of their projects, below.

Scottish Languages Employability Award - our original award, established in 2019, recognises partnerships that develop core employability skills:

SLEA Green - this award fosters the development of a global citizenship approach to employability in the languages curriculum:

SLEA Multilingual - new for 2025, this award celebrates schools that adopt inclusive practices in order to prepare learners to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world:

The next SLEA verification date for all awards Friday 21 November 2025. Visit the SLEA webpage via the link below for details on how to apply.

Read more...

2 October 2025 (SCILT)

Our multilingual poetry competition, Mother Tongue Other Tongue (MTOT), is back for session 2025-26!

This year the competition returns to its roots to focus on the written word. Whilst entries can be illustrated with pupils' hand-drawings and recordings can be submitted, there is no requirement to include these elements.

All pupils from P1 to S6 can take part, whether entering in a language spoken with families at home (Mother Tongue) or a language they are learning (Other Tongue).

Launched to coincide with National Poetry Day, this year includes a special prize category for entries on the NPD theme of 'Play'.

Visit our MTOT webpages for more information and to register to take part!

Read more...

30 September 2025 (Institut français)

The Institut français d’Ecosse supports French language teachers in primary and secondary schools across Scotland.

The objective of the training is to help you top up your French and/or boost your confidence with language, pronunciation tips and culture.

Next online sessions are on Thursdays from 4pm to 5.30pm.

  • 30 October 2025, on the theme of “Halloween”
  • 27 November 2025, on the theme of “Festive season” 

Visit the Institut français website for more information.

Read more...

25 September 2025 (Seachdain na Gàidhlig | World Gaelic Week)

Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week), will take place Monday 23 February to Sunday 1 March 2026.

This year’s theme is 'Cleachd i no caill i' (Use it or lose it), and we’d be delighted if you would join us in celebrating Gaelic across Scotland and around the world.

Information sessions

If you’re curious about how to get involved, we are hosting free online sessions for anyone wishing to find out more about the week. Whether you’re planning an event, applying to the Small Grants Fund, or just want to learn what’s happening, these sessions are the best place to start.

Register here → Seisean fiosrachaidh • Information Session

Small Grants Fund

Thanks to continued support from Bòrd na Gàidhlig, our Small Grants Fund is open once again. Awards of up to £500 are available to support projects and events taking place during Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2026. Applications should show how they reflect this year’s theme.

Schools programme

We’ll once again be offering a series of free, interactive online sessions for schools. These have proved hugely popular, with thousands of pupils taking part each year. Teachers can find details and book via our website. 

Stay connected

Our posts will be over on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and Instagram (@sngaidhlig) - we’d really appreciate if you could give them a share/like and use #SeachdainNaGàidhlig2026. 

Our website is now fully updated with resources, ideas, and this year’s theme. We’d encourage you to take a look, download materials, and share them with your networks.

We very much hope you’ll be part of Seachdain na Gàidhlig 2026 - whether by hosting an event, taking part in our schools programme, or spreading the word in your community.

25 September 2025 (Civil Service Languages Network)

British Council, GCHQ and the Civil Service Languages Network are working together to promote language learning among pupils in UK schools.

Your S2/S3 pupils, who will be choosing their National Qualifications, and S4/S5 pupils choosing their Highers, are invited to our open, online events – see dates below. There, they will hear from speakers with different roles across government who have used languages in their career, and how either studying a language in school, or speaking a heritage language, has enriched their life and career. Pupils will have the chance to ask the speakers questions (via their teacher) through a Q&A session.

You can see some example videos here:

  1. Rosemary Pennells (British Embassy Tokyo) Y8/Y9)
  2. Nerys Jones (British Embassy Berlin) Y10/11 Government Languages Outreach talk

The online events are free of charge, and it is hoped recordings of some of the events will be made available. To express interest, and help us keep in touch, please complete the form

We look forward to welcoming your pupils to our events.

Autumn term 2025

S4/S5: Wednesday 15 October 2025, 09:00-10:00

S4/S5: Tuesday 11 November 2025, 09:15-10:15

S2/S3: Thursday 20 November 2025, 09:00-10:00

Spring term 2026

S2/S3: Wednesday 14 January 2026, 09:00-10:00

S4/S5: Tuesday 20 January 2026, 09:00-10:00

S2/S3: Tuesday 10 February 2026, 09:15-10:15

5 September 2025 (SCILT)

SCILT’s ECT Primary Languages Signpost Sessions are online, free of charge and open to newly or recently qualified primary teachers working in Scottish schools and to student primary teachers studying at Scottish universities.

Our Signpost Sessions are for you if are looking for:

  • advice on how to support multilingual pupils and their families
  • strategies for teaching additional languages
  • the chance to network informally with others at a similar career stage from across the country

Each Signpost Session is themed, informal and will point you in the right direction for free resources, up-to-date guidance and practical teaching ideas. Sign up for as many sessions as you like:

  • Wednesday 24 September, 16:00–17:00 - Developing a multilingual ethos in your primary class
  • Wednesday 26 November, 16:00–16:45 - First steps in teaching primary languages
  • Wednesday 28 January, 16:00 -16:45 - Digital tools for primary languages
  • Wednesday 25 March, 16:00–16:45 - Getting outdoors with primary languages
  • Wednesday 27 May, 16:00–16:45 - Next steps in teaching primary languages

Registration closes two days before each session, and the online link to join via MS Teams will be sent out one day in advance. These sessions will not be recorded.

Register via the link below. Please also find attached flyer which can be shared with colleagues. 

Read more...


Related Files

4 September 2025 (SCILT/DYWLive/eSgoil)

We are delighted to be working together with e-Sgoil and DYW Live again this year to deliver the Languages and Your Career webinar. In this fully interactive session we will explore how languages can contribute to success in a wide range of jobs and career paths. We aim to introduce secondary learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work.

The Languages and Your Career workshop will be repeated each month on different days and times from September until March, linking with key focus weeks in the calendar. All dates are now available to book:

  • Wednesday 17 September @ 10.00
  • Friday 3 October @ 11.00
  • Tuesday 11 November @ 2.00 (Scottish Careers Week)
  • Monday 8 December @ 10.00
  • Thursday 15 January @ 11.00
  • Wednesday 4 February @ 2.00 (Languages Week Scotland)
  • Tuesday 3 March @ 10.00

Sessions will take place in Glow Teams; we hope to see you there!

For more information and registration details, see the e-Sgoil website.

Read more...

4 September 2025 (SCILT)

Language Ambassadors Online is back for 2025-26! Led by students from universities right across Scotland who study a whole range of different subjects, these sessions are designed to promote languages to young people and to encourage them to choose languages as part of their learning experience, whatever other subject areas they may be interested in. In the online workshops, our wonderful ambassadors share their experiences of learning languages and discovering new cultures, answer learners’ questions and generally seek to enthuse and inspire! Sessions take place on the following dates:

  • Thursday 25 September 11.00 – 12.00
  • Wednesday 29 October 9.00 - 10.00
  • Tuesday 25 November 2.00 - 3.00
  • Friday 23 January 10.00 - 11.00
  • Tuesday 24 February 11.00 - 12.00
  • Wednesday 18 March 2.00 - 3.00

All sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams. For more information and to book to bring your class(es) along see our Language Ambassadors Online webpage and book via the Eventbrite link.

Read more...

15 August 2025 (SCILT)

Calling all Germanists! Dates for this session’s meetings of the Teachers of German in Scotland (TOGS) network are below and registrations are now open on our eventbrite page.  

  • Wednesday 24 September (4.30-5.30pm) 
  • Thursday 15 January (4.30-5.30pm) 
  • Monday 27 April (4.30-5.30pm) 

TOGS meetings are 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. Germanists in higher education and cultural institutions are also welcome to attend, so do feel free to come and join us!   

If you have already signed up to our TOGS mailing list, please note that you will automatically receive the link prior to each meeting. 

15 August 2025 (SCILT)

SCILT’s 2025-26 menu of professional learning workshops for groups launches today!

Free to book for groups of primary or secondary teachers working in local authority schools. Sessions are designed and facilitated by our friendly and experienced Professional Development Officers.  

Select a workshop from the menu below, or request a bespoke input tailored to your audience – the choice is yours. Choose your workshop theme(s), pick your dates and submit your workshop request. We’ll confirm arrangements with you promptly.  

These workshops offer a chance for groups of colleagues to dive into professional learning that explores engaging language pedagogies and examples of current practice.  

Requests from professional learning leads in schools, clusters, local authorities and SCIS welcomed all year round…starting now! 

Primary 

  • Developing a multilingual ethos in your primary school
  • First steps in teaching primary languages
  • Next steps in teaching primary languages
  • Assessment as learning in primary languages
  • Getting outdoors with primary languages

Secondary

  • Teaching Sprints – Small change, big impact
  • Developing a multilingual and multicultural ethos
  • BYOW: Build Your Own Workshop!
  • The Big Question

For workshop descriptors, and to book one or more session for the group of teachers that you support, find the link the professional learning request form below.

Read more...

15 August 2025 (SCILT)

A series of four online workshops for in- and pre-service primary teachers with each workshop focuses on a different aspect of pedagogy.

Our experienced Professional Development Officers and enthusiastic invited speakers support you to develop practice related to the home and taught languages in your context. 

Informed by the latest guidance and examples of current practice. 

The online workshops will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded. 

Registrations for all workshops are open now via the links above. Please also see attached flyer which can be shared with your networks. 


Related Files

25 March 2025 (Civil Service Languages Network)

British Council, GCHQ and the Civil Service Languages Network are working together to promote language learning among pupils in UK schools.

Your S2/S3 pupils, who will be choosing their National Qualifications, and S4/S5 pupils choosing their Highers, are invited to our open, online events – see dates below. There, they will hear from speakers with different roles across government who have used languages in their career, and how either studying a language in school, or speaking a heritage language, has enriched their life and career. Pupils will have the chance to ask the speakers questions (via their teacher) through a Q&A session.

You can see an example of a previous event here: Where will languages take me? | British Council.

The online events are free of charge, and I hope to make recordings available of some of the events. To express interest, and help us keep in touch, please complete the form.

We look forward to welcoming your pupils to our events!

Summer term 2025

S4/S5: Tue June 3rd 2025, 09:15-10:15

S2/S3: Wed June 11th 2025, 09:15-10:15

Autumn term 2025

S4/S5: Wed Oct 15th 2025 09:00-10:00

S4/S5: Tue Nov 11th 2025 09:15-10:15

S2/S3: Thur Nov 20th 2025 09:00-10:00

Spring term 2026

S2/S3: Wed Jan 14th 2026 09:00-10:00

S4/S5: Tue Jan 20th 2026 09:00-10:00

S2/S3: Tue Feb 10th 2026 09:15-10:15

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