Latest News

1 July 2025 (The Guardian)

Ministers must make access to language learning a national priority, experts have said, after research showed that children from more deprived areas of England are disproportionately denied the chance to learn a foreign tongue.

This year’s Language Trends report by the British Council surveyed 1,000 primary, secondary and independent schools and found that the proportion of pupils studying a modern language GCSE in less affluent English state schools was 38% lower than in the most affluent and 12% lower than the average.

While 69% of year 10 pupils at the most prosperous state schools are studying a language for GCSE, just 47% of those at the least affluent are.

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25 June 2025 (The Conversation)

As the government is exploring a new EU youth mobility scheme and working towards a renewed association with the Erasmus+ programme, a world of opportunity may be opening up once again for young people in the UK. Studying or working abroad is not just an enriching experience – it’s a powerful step towards building intercultural competence and a successful career in today’s globalised world.

The German-speaking countries are among Europe’s most influential cultural and political forces and have therefore been an attractive destination for young Brits. And learning German could be the gateway to a period of cultural immersion.

Learning a language has many professional, cultural and intellectual benefits. With almost 100 million first-language speakers across several countries, German is one of the most widely spoken languages in Europe. Germany is not just Europe’s largest economy but also the third largest economy in the world. Knowing German can give you a competitive edge with employers and even boost your salary prospects.

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19 June 2025 (Open University)

The Open University and Education Scotland are delighted to offer Masters-level CPD to any teacher in Scotland on embedding Scots language as part of language and literacy in education.

This is an important time in both Scottish society and Scottish education for CPD such as this, particularly in light of the Scottish Languages Bill that was passed by the Scottish Government on 17 June 2025, giving the Scots language legal recognition for the first time in Scotland’s history.

Now in its second year, this award-winning course gives teachers the opportunity to study virtually, share reflective work on their own classroom practice with peers, and attend tutorials online alongside fellow professionals from schools across Scotland, with each teacher focusing on the language and literature of their particular part of the country. The course has been designed to suit any learning environment, suitable for teachers in Primary, Secondary, Early Years, FE and ASN. Delivered entirely online, the course shares examples of best practice on using the Scots language in education, with the opportunity built-in for teachers to specifically explore the language and literature most appropriate for their learners wherever they are in Scotland.

It is free to sign up, all places have been funded by the Scottish Government. Click the following link for more information and to fill in an online form to register for a place on the course: OLCreate: Scots language teacher professional learning programme | OLCreate

 Those studying this CPD course will

• learn how to incorporate elements of local language and culture in their own teaching and be given opportunities to practise this in their classrooms
• build confidence in teaching in multilingual classrooms, using a wide variety of education materials to assist with exploring pupil voice, as well as related developmental skills for increased pupil self-confidence, resilience, communication, creativity and morelearn ways to take an interdisciplinary approach to teaching language and culture 
• understand the value of language skills pupils bring to education as key transferable literacy skills that form an important part of their identity
• understand educational benefits of giving local language and culture a prominent place within the classroom
• learn about the educational guidance and academic research available on using minority languages in education
• be given the opportunity to focus on their unique local language and learn about the various dialects of Scots language, such as Doric, Dundonian, Shaetlan, Glaswegian...
• learn about the SQA Awards pupils can gain, as well as planning a progression from earlier in the school experience

19 June 2025 (ECML)

The European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) is inviting schools to help celebrate next year's European Day of Languages (EDL) anniversary with three different initiatives on offer:

• The EDL t-shirt competition - design submissions by the end of December
• Design a poster illustrating the 25th anniversary motto of the European Day of Languages “Languages open hearts and minds!” Submission deadline 15 October
• Help to create (and perform) a multilingual anthem for the 25th anniversary of the European Day of Languages! Submission deadline 15 October

Visit the ECML website for full details and get involved!

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19 June 2025 (Institut français)

The Institut français d'Ecosse provides a range of opportunities for learning the French language. So whether you want to brush up conversational skills for travel, combine the language with art, or learn from scratch, there's a course to suit!

Visit the Insitut français d'Ecosse website for more information and to sign up for classes.

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19 June 2025 (SCILT)

Back by popular demand, SCILT’s Moving Forward with Languages conferences for Higher and Advanced Higher language learners will return for session 2025-26!  

The first conference day will be held in-person at the University of Strathclyde on Wednesday 10 September, with the online event taking place on Wednesday 19 November 2025. Workshops will cover a range of languages, and learners will have the chance to gather advice and tips on the languages that they are learning right now and get a flavour of what it is like to study languages at university level. 

Registrations will open in August for the September in-person event. If you would like to receive more information about these conferences after the summer break, please sign up to SCILT’s ebulletin. 

18 June 2025 (Yahoo News)

MSPs have passed a bill which gives the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament voted unanimously in favour of the Scottish Languages Bill, which also makes changes to the support of Gaelic and Scots education, on Tuesday.

Ministers say they are “confident” the bill will accelerate the growth of both languages, but Labour say it will do “nowhere near enough”.

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17 June 2025 (Languagenut)

As a trainee MFL teacher (ITE), you have the opportunity to access Languagenut’s online language platform completely free whilst you are training! This initiative is designed to support you in delivering engaging, high-quality language lessons with confidence and transition smoothly into your first year of teaching.

For more information please visit the Languagenut website or email us at: teachertraining@languagenut.com

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17 June 2025 (eSgoil)

e-Sgoil will offer National 4, National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher for Gàidhlig and Gaelic (Learners) pupils, subject to demand. These courses are available to school pupils anywhere in Scotland and are delivered in partnership with UHI North, West and Hebrides.

There is no minimum class size for these courses and the maximum number of pupils is 30. There will be no cost incurred to participate in Gaelic NQs.

The course is a mix of live lessons and personal study. Independent work outside class, alongside homework, will be required. Pupils should expect to dedicate 2 periods, in addition to the 4 live lessons, as well as time at home for homework.

Visit the eSgoil website for entry requirements and registration. Classes begin w/c 25 August 2025.

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17 June 2025 (British Council)

Let’s celebrate the achievements of the women footballers in Ewro2025 with our upcoming classroom resource designed to inspire pupils aged 9-13 to dream big.

Developed by the British Council, in collaboration with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and funded by the Welsh Government, this resource supports key curriculum areas while promoting languages, gender equality and international collaboration.

Visit the British Council website to find out more about the resource. You can also register for the online information webinar taking place on 26 June, 15:45-16:45.

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17 June 2025 (Institut français)

All year round, the Institut français d’Écosse offers the possibility for your learners to watch a French film subtitled in to English, and participate in a language workshop.

For further information, please contact:

Charlotte Hyvernaud, Education Attachée, Institut français d’Ecosse : education.ifecosse@institut-francais.org.uk

17 June 2025 (Institut français)

In 2026 the Concours de la francophonie will celebrate its 10th birthday!

The Concours de la Francophonie, first organised by the Institut français d’Écosse in 2016 as part of the Mois de la Francophonie taking place every March, is open to all primary and secondary schools in Scotland.

Two separate competitions will be organised:

For primary schools

The Concours de la francophonie for Scottish primary schools is organised in collaboration with the French Film Festival UK Learning Programme (FFF UK).

The aim of the Concours is to promote French cinema, French language learning and to encourage pupils and teachers to celebrate the French-speaking world.

The competition is based on films offered free of charge to primary schools as part of the FFF UK 2025 Learning Programme.

For secondary schools

The theme of the 2026 competition is Building Connections. Social connections and relationships are key to young people's identity development and good health. The competition hence aims to encourage young people to reflect on the opportunities and importance of social connections and relationships.

The competition will introduce stop-motion animation techniques to the winners. With this in mind, to enter the competition, learners submit possible solutions in relation to the theme, accompanied by a video briefly explaining the main idea of these solutions. The winners in each category will be invited to participate in a three-hour stop-motion animation workshop at the Institut français d’Ecosse in Edinburgh, on the day of the award ceremony. The scenario for the stop-motion animation film will be based on one of the solutions exposed.

Visit the Institut française d'Ecosse website for the guidelines for both competitions.

Don’t wait, check them out now!

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17 June 2025 (Institut français)

The Institut français d’Ecosse offers online courses to support 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 around the theme of Francophonie.

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

The next sessions will be on:

• September the 25^th, on the theme of “Back to school”
• October the 30^th, on the theme of “Halloween”
• November the 27^th, on the theme of “Festive season” 

 Participation is subject to registration. So if you want to join this session, please send an email with the information below to:

Charlotte Hyvernaud, Education Attachée, Institut français d’Ecosse : education.ifecosse@institut-francais.org.uk

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

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15 June 2025 (BBC)

A mural artist from the Highlands is painting Glasgow's streets with Gaelic words in an effort to promote interest in the language.

Katie Forbes, 28, began learning Gaelic in order to converse with her granny Annie in the latter's first language, but her grandmother passed away before they had a chance to do so.

Driven to improve her Gaelic, Katie began to incorporate words into her murals - along with the phonetic spelling - to help non-speakers learn how to pronounce words.

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13 June 2025 (BBC)

The University of Aberdeen's plans to scrap modern languages degrees were "hurried", a review has found.

The institution blamed a steep fall in the number of students studying modern languages when it initially said the courses could be scrapped in 2023.

It later said it would continue to offer joint honour degree programmes, but not single honours programmes.

A review into how the situation has been handled, commissioned by the university, found decision-making was unstructured and dominated by finances. The university said it accepted there had been "missteps".

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12 June 2025 (Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce)

Edinburgh College’s Modern Languages department proved they’re fluent in success after picking up a national education award at a ceremony in Glasgow recently.

The team won the Partnership with Schools Award at the Herald Higher Education (HE) Awards in recognition of their work in collaborating with schools the length and breadth of the country to deliver National Qualifications in Modern Languages to young people through an innovative online model.

The department’s inspiring work has helped increase opportunities for school pupils to continue learning French, German, Italian and Spanish at Higher and Advanced Higher levels, thereby bridging the gap between school and university and allowing students from any school in Scotland to potentially go on to study languages at university level.

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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: Thur Jan 20th 2026 09:00-10:00

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