Latest News

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

Latest News

17 January 2025 (British Council)

The UK-Ukraine School Partnerships programme is funded by the UK Government, in support of the historic 100-Year Partnership between the UK and Ukraine. It is delivered by the British Council in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust. The programme aims to foster cross-cultural understanding, enhance language and communication skills and promote collaboration between students and teachers from both countries.

Come together with teachers and pupils in Ukraine to share the joy of reading and build an understanding of the stories we tell in our different cultures. Apply now to take part in any cohort. The deadline for applying in Cohort 1 is 28 February 2025.

Visit the British Council website for more information about this unique new programme.

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16 January 2025 (UK-German Connection)

UK-German Connection supports schools in the UK and Germany to connect and form partnerships through a range of grants, advisory services, networks and programmes digitally and in-person.

Primary, secondary and SEN schools, FE colleges and youth groups in the UK and Germany can apply for the Instant Impact grant. Up to £2,500 can be awarded to support first-time taster trips/revival trips (one-way) for groups of young people to a partner school or youth group in Germany. 

A language-learning element is welcomed but not compulsory and the majority of the time during the visit must be spent on joint activities with a high level of interaction between the young people from both countries.

Visit the UK-German Connection website for full details and to apply for the grant.

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16 January 2025 (eSgoil)

If you have pupils making subject choices in January eSgoil has a range of videos you can share with learners to help them.

These include general advice on how to approach subject choices and pre-recordings on where certain subjects, including languages, could take them for a career.

Visit the eSgoil website for more information.

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16 January 2025 (SCILT/eSgoil/DYW)

To celebrate Languages Week 2025 eSgoil/DYW Live have several exciting sessions taking place led by colleagues at Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT). These include events for both teachers and learners.

  • Tuesday 4 February @ 4.00 – 5.00: Building Their Multilingual Futures (professional learning workshop for teachers)
  • Wednesday 5 February @ 11.00 – 12.00: MY Multilingual Future (interactive webinar for S1-S3)
  • Thursday 6 February @ 2.00 – 3.00: Languages and Our Careers (panel discussion for S1-S6)
  • All week - Senior Phase recorded presentation: Asynchronous resource

Full details and the registration link can be found on the eSgoil website.

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14 January 2025 (Education Scotland)

Education Scotland will be hosting two webinars this month for primary teachers on languages and the curriculum improvement cycle:

  • Wednesday 22 January, 16:00 - 17:00
  • Tuesday 28 January, 16:00-17:00

This will be an opportunity to hear first hand about initial findings and how you can become involved in this transformational work.

Visit the Education Scotland portal to find the webinar joining links.

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14 January 2025 (The Herald)

Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week) has unveiled details of its most diverse, ambitious and largest programme to date, bringing together speakers, learners and enthusiasts from across Scotland and beyond.

The fourth edition of the nationwide language initiative will celebrating the theme, Ceanglaichean gun Chrìch, which signifies Building Connections in English.

More than 60 groups across Scotland and beyond have been awarded funding through the initiative’s Small Grants Fund, supported by Bòrd na Gàidhlig, to stage events and activities championing the Gaelic language next month.

(Note - subscription required to access full article).

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14 January 2025 (British Council)

Each February we hold a festival of language when your students can show off their language skills. This can be a language they are learning at school or one they speak in their community. It’s about sharing a love of language and celebrating the diversity of people in the UK who speak a language other than English. 

The festival is managed on behalf of the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) by the British Council, working in collaboration with the Association for Language Learning (ALL) . It is open to all primary and secondary schools.

Practise and celebrate a language your students are learning or use in their community, and take part in a virtual festival of speaking which runs from 1 - 28 February! 

Visit the British Council website to find out how to take part.

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13 January 2025 (BBC)

Global hits such as Squid Game and Money Heist have shown language is no barrier to international success - now the stars of a new thriller are hoping Gaelic can translate just as well.

An t-Eilean (The Island) is the UK's first ever high-end Gaelic drama series, set around an unsolved murder and mysterious family secrets, with episodes costing more than £1m to make.

Star Sorcha Groundsell believes the show - which begins on BBC Alba at 21:00 -can help keep the language alive.

She said: "There's an open mindedness, in the world now, to foreign language dramas, to cultures that are not necessarily perceived as mainstream."

Read more...

12 January 2025 (The Guardian)

I’d been learning Japanese on and off for years when, on New Year’s Day 2022, I realised I could still barely master the sushi bar menu. Three years on I’m now reading my ninth book, having finished a few hundred comics and a video game – all in Japanese.

I’m still amazed at my achievement. My biggest breakthrough? Learning to embrace ambiguity and finding comfort in incomplete understanding.

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10 January 2025 (Schools Week)

Ministers have scrapped funding for computing hubs and are scaling back similar support in modern foreign languages, with the “last-minute decision” putting school finances and jobs in jeopardy.

Schools Week revealed before Christmas a government scheme to help state schools teach Latin was to be canned in March, leaving pupils and schools facing “significant disruption”.

As part of the same cost-cutting drive, multi-million pound “hub” schemes to support schools boost the quality of teaching and uptake in two shortage subjects have also been axed.

Language hubs are expected to be “reshaped” following cuts, while computing providers say they’ve been left “in a precarious position because we have no information about what the landscape will be like”.

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10 January 2025 (British Council)

The Lefèvre Trust was set up to enable groups of young people aged 11 to 19 from the UK and France to work together on joint projects. This programme from the Lefèvre Trust supports collaboration between the UK and France through education partnerships that offer young people an international and intercultural experience. 

To apply for a one-off grant of up to £5000 to support international travel for young people, you must be a state-funded UK secondary school and have an existing partnership with a school in France.

Visit the British Council website to find out more and how to apply.

Applications are open until 31 January 2025.

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10 January 2025 (SCILT)

We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world.

- Malala Yousafzai

Words for the World is back, with a brand-new challenge for 2025!

This year’s competition is focused on Water; World Water Day is on 22 March 2025, and several of the Sustainable Development Goals focus on water.

Inspired by Malala’s words, we would love you once again to use your words to show how the world can be a better place. This year, we are asking you to design and write a postcard to the First Minister to show how important water is in our world and what we need to do to look after it.

For full entry information and the postcard template, go to the Words for the World webpage. We look forward to seeing your entries!

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9 January 2025 (Open Book)

Open Book hosts a Scots creative writing programme, a free series of creative writing sessions which take place via Zoom, and which are led by trained facilitator, author Alan McClure. These sessions are designed as a gentle introduction to writing in Scots and are open at anyone who’d like to give it a try in a friendly and welcoming setting. Beginner and more experienced writers are all welcome.

The team also host Scots shared reading sessions, led by Dorothy Lawrenson, where all are welcome.

The next two online sessions will take place as follows (click on the appropriate link for registration):

Participants will be sent the Zoom link in advance of the sessions by email. 

9 January 2025 (SCILT)

Do you have learners who would like to add another language qualification to their portfolio, but don’t have time or capacity within the department to run this? SCILT can help! Our Discovering China Live online classes prepare learners for National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Mandarin qualifications. 

You can now register interest to take part in our online National Qualification Mandarin classes with our GTCS Mandarin teachers.

Please see the attached flyer below for more information, a teacher testimonial and the link to register your interest.

For full details of the course, please see the Discovering China programme page on the SCILT website where you can also find the registration link. The 2025-26 handbook will be added shortly.

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9 January 2025 (The Scotsman)

The New Year is here, and many of those whose 2025 resolution was to learn a new skill will have already taken their first steps.

Learning a new language is a fun and popular choice. On top of that, it’s good for you - with research suggesting people who speak more than one language develop better memory, problem-solving abilities, concentration and creativity, according to the Language Connects Foundation. Phone apps are an easily-accessible way into language learning, but with so many educational apps on the market now, it can be tricky finding the right one for you.

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9 January 2025 (SCILT)

Join us for Languages Week Scotland 2025! The week runs from 3 - 7 February and the theme is Our Multilingual Futures. It will be a chance to celebrate language learning and multilingualism in Scotland and its crucial role in our increasingly socially and ethically complex world.  

Each day throughout the Week, Languages Week Scotland will share a challenge on X and invite learners, classes, schools and families to join in. To help teachers to prepare to engage with these challenges, we have published them in advance on our website. 

Keep up to date with the challenges and everything else for Languages Week Scotland 2025 by following us on X or the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages on all platforms.

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7 January 2025 (The Guardian)

Every year, the world loses some of its 7,000 languages. Parents stop speaking them to their children, words are forgotten and communities lose the ability to read their own scripts. The rate of loss is quickening, from one every three months a decade ago to one every 40 days in 2019 – meaning nine languages die a year.

The UN’s culture agency, Unesco, says predictions that half the world’s languages will have died out by the end of the century are optimistic.

Some languages are disappearing with their last speakers, but thousands are endangered because they are not being spoken widely enough or are not being used in formal settings such as schools or workplaces.

A quiet fightback is under way in communities that feel their traditions are drowned out by the dominance of the most spoken languages globally, such as English, or by the official languages of their country.

Read more...

7 January 2025 (British Council)

The Chinese New Year is set for 29 January 2025, marking the beginning of the Year of the Snake and bringing in various traditional celebrations.

This British Council educational pack designed for primary schools includes resources and activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese language and culture.

Pupils can read a traditional Chinese folktale about the legend of Lady White Snake and discover some facts about these fascinating reptiles.

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7 January 2025 (Goethe-Institut)

The Goethe-Institut provides a range of activities and initiatives to support the teaching and learning of German in UK schools. Click on the appropriate link below to discover more about the latest opportunities:

  • Win a foosball table for your school! - the competition invites groups of pupils or entire classes from P6 to S6 in Scotland to submit a creative video with a focus on tips for learning German! Entry deadline 7 February. 
  • German Days Glasgow - interactive workshops and film screenings for school groups.
  • “Exchange2Change” - a creative youth exchange programme between the UK and Germany for young people aged between 14 and 17. As part of a group, exchangers collaboratively develop a creative project, partly virtual and partly during stays in Berlin and London. Through workshops on project-related topics, the participants gain an insight into artistic professional fields, so that the exchange can also serve as a professional internship.

Last but not least, get ready for German Week 2025! Taking place from 17 - 21 March, #ShoutOutForGerman will be a celebration of German language in the UK where Goethe-Institut UK invites you to immerse your pupils and yourself in a series of fun, innovative and didactic activities designed to promote German learning! Visit the website to discover the activities available for primary and secondary schools and register your choices.

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7 January 2025 (Japan Foundation)

The UK’s biggest festival of Japanese cinema, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme (JFTFP), is back for its latest and greatest instalment!

During February and March, 26 titles ranging from cult classics to recently-released hits and anime will be screened in 32 cities across the UK.

Exploring justice, justification, and judgement as seen against today's backdrop of ever-changing values and perspectives, JFTFP25 features everything from thought-provoking hidden gems to laugh-a-minute entertainment.

Discover full programme details on the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme website.

Read more...

19 December 2024 (Franco-Scottish Society / Alliance Française)

In 2021, to mark the 100th birthday of Jacqueline Munro-Lafon, the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland and SCILT came together to create an essay prize competition to commemorate her life and work. The competition is currently run by the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland and the Alliance Française, Glasgow, with the co-operation of SCILT. The judging criteria for this prize mirror elements of the writing marking guidelines for AH French, offering pupils an opportunity to showcase their French writing skills in a national forum with a first-place prize of £500, sponsored by the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland, and two runner-up prizes of £100, sponsored by SCILT.

Eligibility:

  • For learners of French at Advanced Higher level.
  • This competition is not open to native French speakers nor those with a French heritage.

Requirements:

  • The essay will be in French.
  • Between 350 and 500 words in length.
  • The essay will be reviewed and proofed once by you/the learner’s teacher before the final revision of the essay is submitted. This proof-reading and feedback, seen as a learning exercise, would be limited to drawing your learner’s attention to where improvements can be made in accuracy of language and style.

Timeline:

  • Registration will be open for schools from Monday 6 January 2025.
  • Registration will close on Friday 26 January 2025.
  • All necessary information, including this round’s essay topic and supporting material will be sent to registered schools on Thursday 30 January.
  • The deadline for submitting essays will be Friday 21 March 2025.

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10 December 2024 (British Council)

Established in 1905, the British Council’s English Language Assistants (ELA) programme is a major UK mobility initiative that offers paid teaching placements abroad, providing the perfect opportunity to travel, teach and gain invaluable experiences along the way, including enhancing or developing language skills!

Applications to be an English Language Assistant in 2025-26 are now open! 

Visit the British Council website for more information about the programme and application process.

Application deadline is 1pm on Thursday 30 January 2025.

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10 December 2024 (Scottish Mathematical Council)

The Scottish Mathematical Council would like to welcome you to participate in the world-wide Mathematics and Language competition Mathématiques sans Frontières. We are hopeful that we continue to offer a stimulating and light-hearted competition which combines Mathematics and Modern Languages. For those of you who have not taken part previously, this competition aims to motivate pupils in these subjects, promote teamwork throughout pupils of all abilities, and bridge borders between countries across the world.

Please find attached a training test for Mathématiques Sans Frontières and one entry form for the competition proper. S4/GCSE classes should attempt questions 1-10 and S5/A-level classes questions 1-13.  A whole class should attempt the test with questions divided up between groups to ensure that the questions can be completed in the allotted time of 90 minutes. Question 1 will require an explanation in a foreign language. We hope that this encourages cross-curricular working and teamwork. 

The competition proper will be held on Thursday 13 March 2025. All schools competing will receive a certificate. The winning entry will receive a prize. Previous prizes have including visits from science communicators, maths puzzle events, donations to charities, and incredible badges showing off our love of mathematics! 

Schools who would like to register for the competition are kindly requested to complete the proforma attached and return by Friday 31 January 2025, or simply register via the SMC website. We will send out the actual test as a PDF file by e-mail on the Friday prior to the test. We would therefore kindly ask you to ensure that the e-mail address provided is legible or, preferably, typed. It would also be beneficial to provide an alternative e-mail address, which may help prevent firewall issues. 

You can view previous papers and other competition information via the SMC website but please don’t hesitate in reaching out with any queries. 

Read more...


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10 December 2024 (Goethe-Institut)

The Fokus Film Festival offers a diverse and captivating selection of recent German films, covering a wide range of themes and genres. All films will be screened in their original language with English subtitles.

The festival will take place from 21 January (opening) to 20 February 2025. During these four weeks, you are invited to watch films as part of our festival across Scotland.

Visit the Goethe-Institut website for programme details.

Read more...

5 December 2024 (Goethe-Institut)

Calling all young German learners in Scotland: Are you ready to show off your creativity and passion for learning German?

The competition is open to groups of pupils or entire classes from P6 to S6 in Scotland. The challenge to submit a creative video with a focus on your tips for learning German!

Teachers have until 7 February to submit entries.

Full details on the Goethe-Institut website.

Read more...

19 November 2024 (SCILT)

Primary teachers, would you like the opportunity to collaborate with the Multilingualism through Art (MtA) team in the new year? Please read on for more information!

For those who don’t know us, the MtA team is made up of a small group of colleagues (4) from the University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde and SCILT. Our work mainly focuses on multilingualism and multilingual approaches towards language learning, notably using art and creative methodologies. In the new year, we are planning to deliver 3 live online lessons that will explore multilingualism and language learning through an art-based lens. In order to plan these lessons, which will take place between January and March, we are looking to work alongside teachers of primary, more specifically, those working with learners from P5 – P7 to collaborate with. The idea is that the MtA team will work with the class teacher to plan and design a lesson that adopts a multilingual approach to language learning with an art focus. Following on from the planning process, the MtA team will join the class online and team-teach with the class teacher to deliver the lesson. This lesson can be drawn from the Multilingualism through Art resource pack or we can discuss any other ideas that you may have. Ultimately, we aim to co-create a lesson with the teacher to best meet the needs of their learners.

You can select one from the following dates and please note, each lesson will take place on Microsoft Teams from 1.30 pm – 2.30pm.

  •  Thursday 23 January
  •  Thursday 27 February
  •  Thursday 20 March

We intend to meet with all teachers taking part during the week beginning 6 January to begin the discussion and planning process.

If you would like to get involved in this exciting opportunity, consider which date works best for you and register your interest here.

Please note that places are limited, and we can only accept one class per school for each date. You will be notified if you have secured a place week beginning 9 December 2024.

8 November 2024 (SCILT)

SCILT invites you to use your knowledge of German and the German-speaking world to show what German means to you!

  • Design a poster, including as much German language as you can, to show what the German-speaking world means to you. 
  • Use the title Das bedeutet Deutsch für mich! 
  • Individual or group entries are welcome. Group entries: use the title Das bedeutet Deutsch für uns!
  • Judging categories: P1-4, P5-7, S1-3, S4-6.  
  • Each category includes a “German learners” and “German background” category: 
  • Submissions from children and young people who have learned German in school should submit their posters in the “German learners” category. Please note that this competition is open to all learners regardless of level of German. This includes those with no prior learning. 
  • Those with a home or family background of German, or other experience of learning German outwith mainstream school, should submit their posters in the “German background” category. 
  • Some young people are likely to fall into both categories – in this case, please select the category that best suits their situation. 
  • The closing date is Friday 28th February 2025
  • Entries should be emailed by teachers in the form of a photograph to scilt@strath.ac.uk with German Poster Competition in the email subject line. 
  • A signed Submission and Consent Form should also be sent at the same time for each entry. It is perfectly acceptable to upload a photograph of this form; it is not necessary to scan the document. 
  • In order to assist judging, please ensure that the sections of the Submission Form indicating level of German learning and where the inspiration for the poster came from are completed. 
  • Each entry should state the school name, pupil name and age category in its file name. 
  • Winners will be notified and announced before Easter 2025. 

We look forward to seeing your entries! 

3 October 2024 (SCILT)

SCILT’s Language Ambassadors Online programme is a fully online offer available to all schools across the country. Our interactive monthly online sessions are led by student Language Ambassadors from universities across Scotland who are keen to share their experiences of learning languages and discovering new cultures. You can read more about the programme on our website. Sign up to bring your classes along to any/all of the sessions listed!

Upcoming sessions are as follows:

Wednesday 30 October:  9.00 – 10.00am

Tuesday 26 November:  2.00 – 3.00pm

Friday 24 January:  10.00 – 11.00am

Wednesday 26 February:  11.00am – 12.00pm

Tuesday 18 March:  2.00 – 3.00pm

All sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams. For more information and to book to bring your class(es) along, visit the Language Ambassadors Online programme webpage.

Read more...

19 September 2024 (University of Strathclyde)

Welcome to Living Languages, a series of conversations organised by Languages@Strathclyde and focussing 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 2024-25 Programme

  • Tuesday 1 October, 5.30pmFrom garage to global: building a successful language-based start-up
    In conversation with Mark Pentleton, polyglot and CEO of Coffee Break Languages.
    Tickets ► Eventbrite
     
  • Thursday 31 October, 5.30pmChasing your dreams abroad: playing the game in Paris
    In conversation with Finn Russell, professional rugby player and captain of Scotland.
    Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
     
  • Tuesday 26 November, 5.30pm TBCWhere are they now? Stories from recent graduates
    In conversation with Tom Bell (Producer - Visual Radio – at the BBC), Marjorie Hogarth (Assistant Market Development Manager at Visit Scotland), Daniel Hayes (Sales and Account Manager at My Language Connection) and Kristina Bachtler, HR and Operations Manager at Coffee Break Languages.
    Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
     
  • Monday 3 February, 5.30pmA conversation with Amparo Fortuny, Producer and Filmmaker
    The evening will also feature a screening of one of Amparo's films.
    Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
     
  • Monday 25 February, 5.30pmMultilingualism in Media: Providing a voice to a multicultural community
    In conversation with Rhiannon J Davies, Editor-in-chief, Greater Govanhill magazine
    Tickets available now ► Eventbrite

23 August 2024 (SCILT)

Calling new and recent entrants to primary teaching in Scotland. Undergraduate and postgraduate primary education students at Scottish universities and qualified primary teachers in your first four years post-qualification – we mean you! 

If you have an interest in developing your practice relating to the languages - both home and taught, signed and spoken – represented in your classroom, then you will not want to miss SCILT’s ECT Primary Languages Signpost Sessions. Tailored just for you. 

Our Signpost Sessions will be chock full of: 

  • ideas and 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 stage in their career across the country 

Join us online on MS Teams, after school on the last Wednesday of the month every second month. It’ll be a friendly, informal opportunity to connect and ask questions, to find support and solutions. Whatever you need, we will point you in the right direction. 

  • 25 September 2024, 16.00–17.00. Signpost 1: First steps in teaching languages in primary 

  • 27 November 2024, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 2: Pedagogies for multilingual primary classrooms 

  • 29 January 2025, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 3: Digital tools for primary languages 

  • 26 March 2025, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 4: Target language phonics 

  • 28 May 2025, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 5: Interdisciplinary language learning 

Sign up for as many as you wish.

Please also find attached flyer which can be shared with colleagues. 

We can’t wait to see you there. 

Read more...


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