Latest News

21 March 2025 (The Herald)

Slighe nam Bàrd will provide a poetic pathway around the island, aiming to introduce local, national, and international visitors to a taste of Gaelic heritage, song, and poetry.

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture, has launched the path today (Friday) to coincide with World Poetry Day.

From today, tourists will be able to collect a free Slighe nam Bàrd - Poetry Paths pamphlet and accompanying map from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, located in Sleat.

The pamphlet will provide a detailed guide around Skye’s stunning landscape, stopping at seven major locations connected to a Gaelic song or poem. A QR code for each location provides a recording of the poem/song to enable people to listen to the Gaelic audio in the environment that inspired the creative piece.

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20 March 2025 (Education Scotland)

Taking place online from 24 to 28 March 2025, Education Scotland will be running a mixture of Live Lessons, Stories of Success, and Professional Learning Sessions exploring AI in education.

Language teachers may wish to sign up classes for the interactive 'Build a language translator programme with Scratch' session on 27 March!

Check out Education Scotland's Digilearnscot website for more information.

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20 March 2025 (Consejería de Educación)

There are a range of upcoming professional learning opportunities and initiatives for schools offered by the Spanish Education Office and partners. Follow the appropriate link below to learn more:

Summer courses in Spain

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports (MEFPD), in collaboration with the Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) and the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), has organised a series of summer courses in Spain aimed at foreign Spanish teachers and teachers of other subjects in Spanish who work abroad. The scholarships cover the course fees, accommodation, meals, and a programme of cultural activities.

The courses available for UK teachers are as follows:

Course S 1.- La competencia sociocultural en el aula de español L2/LE desde un enfoque multidimensional: entre las nuevas tecnologías y el juego 

• Venue: Centro Asociado de la UNED, Segovia. Spain.
• Dates: From 7 to 11 July 2025.

Course SA 2.- Enfoque comunicativo y estrategias para desarrollar competencias orales y habilidades comunicativas

• Venue: Campus de las Llamas, UIMP, Santander. Spain.
• Dates: From 14 to 18 July 2025.

Course SA 8.- Metodologías activas y gamificación como herramientas didácticas innovadoras

• Venue: Campus de las Llamas, UIMP, Santander. Spain.
• Dates: From 28 July to 1 August 2025.

All the necessary information about requirements, merits, application procedure, and instructions for registering in the Sede Electrónica (online site), filling in the Mi perfil section (CV), and submitting an application through the Profex 2 platform is available on the websites of the Education Office and the Ministry.

Application period: from 8 to 22 March. LAST DAYS!

 

Online workshops - 25 March and 1 April

The Education Office and the Spanish Federation of Schools of Spanish as a Foreign Language in the Region of Valencia (FEDELE) continue the series of free online workshops for Spanish teachers and assistants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Two 1-hour workshops will be held on Tuesdays, 25 March, and 1 April, from 4:30 to 6:30 PM.

 

Online workshop - 7 April: “Prácticas y propuestas didácticas para conseguir una comunicación inclusiva en el aula” NEW!

Edinumen publishers are offering this free online workshop, led by Víctor Manuel Sayago López, which aims to provide practical strategies and tools to achieve inclusive communication in the teaching of Spanish as a Foreign Language (ELE).

Monday 7 April 2025, at 4:00 PM.

 

12th Castilla y León award for the best Spanish student in the United Kingdom 2025

The Education Office of the Spanish Embassy in the United Kingdom, with the sponsorship of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Government of Castilla y León, annually presents an award to the student in the UK who achieves the best results in Spanish and has the most outstanding academic record.

While not a requirement, students who have taken an AS Level (England, Wales, or Northern Ireland) or Higher Level (Scotland) exam in Spanish and achieved an A grade will be given additional merit.

The prize consists of a three-day (two-night) trip to Castilla y León for two people, including transportation within Spain, accommodation, and meals. The trip is expected to take place in 2025. Please note that the award does not cover the round-trip flight from the UK to Spain.

Application period: from 5 March to 4 May 2025.

 

Online workshop - 10 May: “Construyendo un aprendizaje duradero del léxico en ELE”

«Que las palabras no se las lleve el viento: Construyendo un aprendizaje duradero del léxico en ELE», led by Irene Arroyo (editorial SGEL). This free online workshop aims to equip teachers of Spanish as a foreign language with tools and strategies to enhance their students' lexical learning.

Saturday 10 May 2025, from 10 am to 11:30 am.

 

26-28 June -  8th International Conference: “Español para todos” in Salamanca

The 8th "Spanish for Everyone" Conference has already opened its registration period. This conference has become the largest international meeting on the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. Organized by the Junta de Castilla y León, in collaboration with the Salamanca City Council, the University of Salamanca, and the German Association of Spanish Teachers (DSV), this conference is a must-attend event for all those passionate about Spanish, whether they are Hispanists, teachers, students, or professionals in the linguistic and cultural field.

 

European Day of Languages - Save the date! NEW!

On Friday, 26 September 2025, the Institut français d’Ecosse together with European consulates and cultural organisations will be celebrating European Day for Languages in Edinburgh with morning activities aimed at S2 and S3 pupils.

About the schools’ activities

This event aims to celebrate, inspire and consolidate the importance of languages to young people.

Pupils will thus be exposed to different languages and have the opportunity to interact with various people from various countries.

Who?

The event will consist of up to 8 language/country “corners”: Czech, Italian, French, German, Irish, Polish, Romanian, Spanish.

Who for?

S2 and S3 pupils from Scottish schools accompanied by a teacher.

What?

The event will consist of up to 8 language/country “corners”, each delivering a 15-minute interactive snapshot session to both S2 and S3 students. Pupils in groups of no more than 7 will rotate around each “corner” and enjoy an interactive encounter in different languages.

Pupils will first be greeted at the Institut before being dispatched in groups.

When?

Friday 26 September 2025

Slot 1: 9am to 10.45

Slot 2: 11.15-1pm

SLOT 1	9:00 am	Arrival of schools/general greeting
	9.30 - 10.45 am	Students in groups of 8 visit 4 country corners (20 per corner)
	10.45 am	Farewell
SLOT 2	11.00 am	Arrival of schools/general greeting
	11:15 - 12:30 pm	Students in groups of 8 visit 4 country corners (20 per corner)
	12.15 - 12.45 pm	Farewell

 

How?

Schools interested in taking part in the event must register by sending an Email to charlotte.hyvernaud@institut-francais.org.uk

They will indicate the following:

• Name of school
• Number of students
• Level of students (S2 or S3)
• Name of accompanying teacher(s)

Deadline for registration: 30 June 2025.

You can also contact Charlotte Hyvernaud, Education attachée, Institut français d’Ecosse : charlotte.hyvernaud@institut-francais.org.uk

18 March 2025 (British-German Association)

As part of German Week, the British-German Association is happy to launch Going to German: A Guide to Opportunities for Young People and Young Adults.

Aimed particularly at young people and young adults who are British citizens, the guide provides an overview of the different routes to spending time in Germany, and what practical requirements you’ll need to consider for each of these options. Anyone hoping to travel to Germany to study or work there or experience the country and improve their German language skills will hopefully find the information useful and inspiring!

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18 March 2025 (Institut français)

Filma are a great way for learners to experience a language and learn more about a culture.

The Institut français d’Ecosse organises French film screenings with English subtitles, on demand, for your pupils to enjoy.

A film screening can be coupled with a French language workshop to make the most of it.

Visit the Institut française website for more information.

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17 March 2025 (British Council)

To mark Neurodiversity Week, British Council teacher and SEND Coordinator, Elsa O'Brien López, looks at neurodivergence and how bilingualism can benefit neurodivergent learners.

[..] The key to supporting neurodivergent learners is understanding the specific needs and strengths of each person, as well as tailoring the language-learning process to suit their learning style and support needs.

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17 March 2025 (The Scotsman)

St Patrick’s Day, once a a commemoration of Ireland’s patron saint, has evolved into a huge, global celebration of Irish culture.

But despite the enthusiasm for embracing Ireland’s food and music on March 17 each year, the Irish language - sometimes called Irish Gaelic or Gaeilge - has been classified as ‘endangered’ by UNESCO. The Endangered Languages Project estimates that there are only 20 to 40 thousand fluent speakers left in the world.

However, language learning app Rosetta Stone reports that the appetite for learning Irish is strong, with a whopping 200% rise in Britons studying the language through its platform alone in the last year. The language began rapidly growing in popularity back in February 2022, its developers say, which they think may reflect a rising desire among the hundreds of thousands of UK residents of Irish heritage to reconnect with it.

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17 March 2025 (The Herald)

Buchanan Galleries has announced a Scottish first by teaming up with a pioneering service to help support the deaf community.

SignLive has launched at the city centre venue and is a digital service that provides access to live British Sign Language interpreters quickly and easily.

(Note - subscription required to access full article)

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16 March 2025 (The Herald)

University language teachers believe there are significant shortcomings in how languages are taught and promoted in Scotland.

Panel discussions about language learning from primary to higher education were held at a recent symposium in at Glasgow's Strathclyde University to discuss the future of language learning in Scotland, particularly how to reverse declining enrolment trends at universities and make Scotland more competitive in the global economy.

(Note - subscription required to access full article)

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13 March 2025 (French Education Office UK)

March is the month of la Francophonie, celebrating the French language and diverse Francophone cultures worldwide.

In Burkina Faso when one is thrilled to see someone they don’t say 'ça me réjouit' – they say 'ça me sucre le cœur.' How sweet is that?!  

If you want to learn more about francophone expressions check out the 2025 "Vive la Francophonie” quiz!

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13 March 2025 (The Herald)

A world-first assessment and accreditation model for Gaelic learners is to be introduced in Scotland in order to support increasing interest in the language.

The system, which will be officially launched in June 2025, is based on a newly-developed Gaelic version of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). It has been developed by Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture.

(Note - subscription required to access full article)

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12 March 2025 (Glasgow Times/Yahoo News)

A Glasgow school with a “sector-leading” department for deaf pupils has been praised by inspectors.

The Education Scotland team said “skilled staff” at St Roch’s Secondary in Royston “provide very high-quality learning and teaching, and support young people to attain and achieve very well, including in British Sign Language.

“As a result, young people are confident, articulate and proud of their deaf identity.”

The inspectors described pupils at St Roch’s – where 48 languages are spoken, and six different sign languages are used - as “a considerable strength of the school.”

The report added: “Staff foster mutually respectful and positive relationships with young people and families. The school community celebrate their rich cultural and ethnic diversity routinely, creating a strong sense of belonging and inclusion.”

Read more...

12 March 2025 (The Conversation)

Learning a new language later in life can be a frustrating, almost paradoxical experience. On paper, our more mature and experienced adult brains should make learning easier, yet it is illiterate toddlers who acquire languages with apparent ease, not adults.

Babies start their language-learning journey in the womb. Once their ears and brains allow it, they tune into the rhythm and melody of speech audible through the belly. Within months of birth, they start parsing continuous speech into chunks and learning how words sound. By the time they crawl, they realise that many speech chunks label things around them. It takes over a year of listening and observing before children say their first words, with reading and writing coming much later.

However, for adults learning a foreign language, the process is typically reversed. They start by learning words, often from print, and try to pronounce them before grasping the language’s overall sound.

Read more...

12 March 2025 (Times Higher Education)

The majority of UK modern languages departments were set up in the aftermath of the First World War with the aim of helping understand the country’s closest neighbours. Many of those neighbours were fellow colonial powers, of course, and it would be misguided to deny that the era’s Eurocentric worldview does not linger in elements of today’s pedagogical structures.

This issue of confronting the colonial legacies of the past is one that concerns the whole of academia. Modern languages – more correctly designated Languages, Cultures and Societies – has played an important role in the critical self-assessment of the humanities. The discipline has often spearheaded cultural studies research and pedagogy that directly addresses the nationalist and imperialist histories and ideologies underpinning contemporary cultures and societies.

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11 March 2025 (Languagenut)

Languagenut is excited to announce that all trainee Modern Foreign Languages teachers can now get free access to Languagenut for their training year and the first three months of their teaching career!

This initiative is designed to support trainees in delivering engaging, high-quality language lessons with confidence and transition smoothly into their first year of teaching.

Visit the Languagenut website for more information or to register your interest.

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11 March 2025 (Foyle Foundation)

The Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award 2025 is now open for entries!

The competition is open to anyone aged 11-17. The deadline to enter your poem(s) is midnight BST 31 July 2025. Entries must be written in English, but you can include phrases in your mother tongue or another language. BSL or braille submissions are also accepted.

The competition is free to enter and you can submit as many entries as you like! Poems should be no more than 40 lines in length.

Further information can be found on the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award website.

Read more...

11 March 2025 (Consejería de Educación)

The Spanish Embassy Education Office, in collaboration with various Spanish and British universities, schools and organisations, has organised a range of conferences and teacher training activities for Spanish teachers between March and July 2025.

There are in-person training days, online workshops and courses in Spain on offer! 

With the exception of the workshops organised by Instituto Cervantes in Manchester (for which a 20% discount is available), all training activities, whether in-person or online, are free of charge, and attendance will be appropriately certified.

We would like to highlight the information on the call for scholarships for Summer Courses in Spain 2025. Although aimed primarily at foreign teachers of Spanish in non-university education, it is also open to other groups, such as graduates and final-year students of Hispanic Studies or equivalent. The scholarships cover the costs of course fees, as well as accommodation, meals and a programme of cultural activities.

Full details can be found in the attached file.

11 March 2025 (Consejería de Educación)

The Education Office of the Spanish Embassy in the United Kingdom, with the sponsorship of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Government of Castilla y León, annually presents an award to the student in the UK who achieves the best results in Spanish and has the most outstanding academic record.

The prize consists of a three-day (two-night) trip to Castilla y León for two people, including transportation within Spain, accommodation, and meals. The trip is expected to take place in 2025. Please note that the award does not cover the round-trip flight from the UK to Spain.

The attached article from our quarterly journal, Tecla, contains, in its second part, the testimony of a student who enjoyed this fantastic award. We hope that it will inspire both teachers and students to participate in this prestigious competition.

The application period is from 5 March 2025 to 4 May 2025.

Further information is available on the Consejería de Educación website.

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11 March 2025 (Institut français)

The Institut français d’Ecosse is back this term with free online teacher-training sessions to support French language teachers in primary and secondary schools across Scotland.

All sessions planned this term will be online, on Thursdays from 4 to 5.30pm.

The next session takes place:

• Thursday 20 March on the theme of “Easter/Pâques”. 

If you want to join this session, please send an email with the information below to: Charlotte Hyvernaud, Education attachée, Institut français d’Ecosse : charlotte.hyvernaud@institut-francais.org.uk

Please give you surname/first name/position/school name and address/level of French/level taught (P1, P2, P3, etc.)

Future sessions:

• 24 April on the theme of seasons
• 15 May on the theme of holidays

Further information is also available on the Institut français website.

Read more...

7 March 2025 (TES)

What is the future for languages in Scotland? A symposium at the University of Strathclyde on 28 February brought together key figures from Scotland’s education and business sector in an attempt to answer this question.

Languages have faced a series of challenges in recent times, as Tes has reported. The number of school students taking languages for national qualifications has been in sustained decline, leading to an increase in multi-level language classes, as the recent Language Trends Scotland report highlights. There are no longer any language assistants in state schools, meaning that many learners have no contact with a young native speaker.

Fewer students taking languages at degree level has led to the closure of languages degrees at Edinburgh Napier and Glasgow Caledonian universities, and the withdrawal of single-honours languages at the University of Aberdeen, after threats to fully close the department were lifted. Fewer languages graduates translates into fewer languages teachers, leading to difficulties in recruitment for schools, especially outside French and Spanish.

Yet, as leading figures in international business told the conference, languages have the potential to be an engine of growth in a stubbornly flatlining economy. They pointed to Ireland, a country of a comparable size, which has successfully leveraged multilingualism to boost exports and attract foreign investment.

The same could be the case for the UK, according to a report by the University of Cambridge and RAND Europe: it says that a relatively modest increase in uptake of 10 per cent at GCSE/National 5 French, Spanish, Arabic and Mandarin would add 0.9 per cent to UK GDP.

(Note - subscription required to access full article)

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6 March 2025 (eSgoil)

eSgoil's Easter Study Support programme is now open for registration!

The Easter Study Support is for Senior Phase learners who are working towards National Qualifications in Scotland. This year there are 57 subjects across N4-Advanced Higher. Easter webinars will run between 7 April and 11 April and each group will meet for three webinar sessions during the holidays.

Visit the eSgoil website for full programme details and how to register.

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4 March 2025 (SCILT)

Ahead of this year’s edition of The Future of French en Écosse forum (on Monday 23 June – save the date and watch this space for more information!) the organisers have prepared a short survey to ascertain learner attitudes towards the language and culture of French. The findings of this will be reported at the forum and will help to inform discussions.

The survey is open to all learners, primary and secondary, who have studied French at any point in their education so far. It should take no more than 5-7 minutes to complete.

The survey link is here: https://forms.office.com/e/ugnz3fGGpJ

Thank you for your support!

28 February 2025 (SCILT)

We are very excited to unveil our new football-themed resources and national competition for learners in S2 and S3, available in both French (Francofoot) and Italian (Calciamo)!

Created through a British Academy-funded research project in collaboration with the University of Stirling and schools across Scotland, the resources are suitable for language and PE classes in BGE and the national competition is open to learners in S2 and S3.

Resources are new, authentic and relevant to the BGE curriculum, covering all four skills and a range of health and lifestyles topics. They are fully customisable to individual school contexts.

The competition consists of two elements:

1. A video of a simple football training drill carried out in the target language
2. An A3 poster which will form the basis of a group presentation: Ma Vie de Footballeur (Francofoot) or La Mia Vita Da Calciatore (Calciamo).

Access to resources and full competition details are on our Francofoot / Calciamo webpage.

We can’t wait to see your entries!

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25 February 2025 (BBC Future)

Synaesthesia is a neurological condition found to enhance memory and learning. Now, scientists say seeing in colour could help when it comes to learning a second language.

My mother's name is the colour of milk. The strings of an acoustic guitar, when strummed, play the warm yellow of honeycomb. The sound is flat, hard and smooth. And Monday is pink. These sensations are always the same, and always present. This is synaesthesia – in my case grapheme-colour synaesthesia, sound-colour synaesthesia and sound-texture synaesthesia.

Like many synaesthetes, I discovered at a young age I had a flair for both music and languages. In music, it wasn't the physical act of performing I excelled at, but composition. I went on to become a composer for short films and dance theatre, and a sound editor for television. Writing music felt a lot like a language to me, as I "saw" the colours of the sounds in a similar way. I also studied French, German, Spanish and linguistics – the colour of language helping me to remember words as well as the patterns of grammar.

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25 February 2025 (University of Oxford)

The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators is a UK-wide creative translation competition for students aged 11-18 studying French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. The competition also runs from French into Welsh. Last year, over 16,000 students from across the UK participated in the prize.  

This year the Anthea Bell Prize competition will run from Monday 3 February until Friday 28 March. There is still plenty of time to enter and get involved!  

Access the competition tasks and full guidance on how to run the competition in school, along with all of our teaching resources on translating poetry, fiction and non-fiction on the Anthea Bell Prize webpage. Our teaching packs are designed as lessons to be used throughout the year, to bring creative translation into the classroom and help students prepare for the competition. 

If you have any queries regarding the competition, please contact the Translation Exchange team at translation.exchange@queens.ox.ac.uk. 

Read more...

19 February 2025 (SCILT)

Are you in S5? 

Do you love languages and social media? 

Would you like to work with like-minded peers and enhance your CV? 

APPLY NOW TO JOIN OUR TEAM! 

We invite committed, dynamic young people to apply for our year-long digital internship programme.  This internship will see you diving into the world of social media and teaming up with peers to showcase a passion for languages and the places they can lead you! 

YOU WOULD GAIN 

• Mentorship from digital professionals 
• Work experience in a languages environment 
• New friendships and an enhanced final year of school 

DEADLINE: 30 March 2025 

Successful applicants must attend a training day on Friday 6 June 2025. This will be held in Glasgow and travel expenses from outside Glasgow will be covered. Those who cannot attend this day will not be allowed to proceed onto the programme. 

Please note: The opportunity is open to young people across Scotland. Interns will be home-based. This is an unpaid internship. Interns are expected to commit two to four hours per week for one academic year to the project (August – April).  

HOW TO APPLY 

Please download and read the Information Pack. This includes the Job Description and Person Specification. 

Please download and complete the Application Form. Applications must be submitted with a letter of reference from your Faculty Manager or Principal Teacher of Modern Languages.  

Completed applications must be returned by email to SCILT  by Sunday 30 March 2025. 

WONDERING WHETHER TO APPLY?  

Here’s what previous interns have said about the experience: 

“The highlight was getting to work with other people I hadn't met before (working on my teambuilding and communication skills), getting to represent a national organisation, creating our own content and deciding ourselves how we wanted to run our social media accounts.” 

“I loved producing high quality content and collaborating with the other interns. It was really exciting later on in the year when we started to get more interaction on our channels.” 

“Meeting new people who share my same passion for languages and coming together to create something valuable was a high point for me.” 

20 February 2025 (Consejería de Educación)

The next DELE (Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera) exams will be held in Edinburgh in May.

These official diplomas certify Spanish language proficiency and are issued by Instituto Cervantes on behalf of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain.

Key Details:

• Date & Time: 24 May 2025, 9:00 am
• Venue: University of Edinburgh (exact location to be confirmed)
• How to register: Online through the links below.
  • DELE A1
  • DELE A2
  • DELE B1
  • DELE B2
  • DELE C1
  • DELE C2
• Registration deadline: 9 April 2025

For a detailed description of each exam, please refer to the DELE Exam Description.

For any inquiries, please contact cenman@cervantes.es and for further information, please visit the Instituto Cervantes Manchester DELE page.

Read more...

7 February 2025 (SCILT )

Applications for Scotland's Languages Leadership Programme (SLLP) 2025-26 are now open!.

The SLLP builds leadership capacity to achieve a sustainable model for leading language learning and teaching for all. Applications are welcome from colleagues with 3 years' teaching experience or equivalent, who are interested in developing approaches to language learning and in implementing change in their own contexts.

This online programme is delivered jointly by SCILT and Education Scotland. It is free of charge to state schools and offers participants the opportunity to engage with the most up-to-date information from Education Scotland and other agencies involved in the delivery of Scotland’s languages policy.

Core professional learning days take place Friday 20 and Saturday 21 June 2025.

Would you like to know more? Sign up to our online information session taking place on Tuesday 11 March. 

Follow the link below for more information about the programme and to submit your application. Deadline for applications is Monday 31 March. 

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28 January 2025 (SCILT)

Calling all German teachers! The next meetings of the TOGS network will take place on MS Teams on:

• Tuesday 25 February (4.30-5.30pm), and
• Monday 12 May (4.30-5.30pm) 

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 Eventbrite page to sign up for our next meeting by Friday 21 February. Wir freuen uns Euch zu sehen! 

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23 January 2025 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International, has opened registrations for schools who would like to take part in our Discovering the World of Arabic programme in session 2025/26.  

Schools can apply for our longer courses at BGE or SP level, which run from September to March, or select our shorter introductory courses to offer an experience of Arabic as an L3 to their learners. 

All participating schools will receive: 

• A dedicated live online lesson delivered every week via Glow Teams for each individual school (time to be agreed with each school) 
• Asynchronous materials to consolidate and further explore Arabic language and Arab cultures 
• Ongoing support from the SCILT team  
• Schools that are new to the programme will also be eligible for a start-up grant of £1000, while returning schools will receive £500 to support their classes to continue learning Arabic. Schools can bid for further funding to provide resources and experiences that enhance the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures. 

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for local authority secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. BGE and Senior Phase courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and specially commissioned writers, with language lessons delivered online by teachers of Arabic. Both courses focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ understanding of Arab cultures and, in the Senior Phase course, their employability skills.  

Discovering the World of Arabic is aimed at non-heritage, beginner learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and develop their portfolio of skills. Schools can choose to take part in the beginner course or, if your class has already completed this course, you can select the post-beginner course to consolidate and deepen Arabic learning. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language. 

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 25 April 2025. Responses given on the note of interest form may inform the final selection of schools for this opportunity. 

Please contact SCILT-Arabic@strath.ac.uk  if you have any questions.  

DTW Arabic Secondary 2025-26 note of interest registrations

23 January 2025 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International, has opened registrations of interest for local authority primary schools in Scotland who would like to open the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme in session 2025/26.   

This programme provides an opportunity for local authority primary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. Schools can choose to take part in the beginner course or, if your class has already completed this course, you can select the post-beginner course to consolidate and deepen Arabic learning.

Both courses are offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary blocks of learning and are aimed at P5-P7 pupils. The courses have been developed and are taught by experienced teachers who are fluent speakers of Arabic. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language. 

The courses are delivered online, through a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams.  

All participating primary schools will receive: 

• A live online lesson each week via Glow Teams 
• A loan box containing a range of artefacts 
• Asynchronous materials shared in Glow Teams to consolidate and extend learning 
• Funding opportunities 
• Ongoing support from the SCILT team 

Live lessons will be scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays. Schools can opt to join the programme in term 1 (September to December) or term 2 (January to March).  

Schools that are new to the programme will also be eligible for a start-up grant of £1000, while returning schools will receive £500 to support their classes to continue learning Arabic. Schools can bid for further funding to provide resources and experiences that enhance the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures. 

Previous participants have told us: 

‘The materials that were provided to the schools were great, the workbooks were very useful throughout the course. The mix of live and recorded sessions was a good idea.’ 

'We really like the box of resources. We liked learning about the different colours and clothes. We enjoyed using the genial.ly websites.’ 

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 25 April 2025. 

Please contact SCILT-Arabic@strath.ac.uk  if you have any questions.  

DTW Arabic Primary 2025-26 note of interest registrations 

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 25 March:  2.00 – 3.00pm (note - changed from original date of 18 March)

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.

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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. 

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