Latest News

21 October 2025 (Coffee Break Languages)

The Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt is an exciting miniseries from Coffee Break Languages, designed to take you on a virtual adventure across Europe.

Open to all, simply choose your language (French, German, Italian or Spanish), listen to each podcast episode to identify the mystery locations from the clues given, then submit your answers on the form which will be published on 26 October after the final podcast episode.

Submission deadline is 28 October at noon with winners announced on 30 October. Get involved for a chance to win some great Coffee Break prizes!

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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15 October 2025 (SQA)

The 2025 Advanced Higher Spanish course report has now been published on the SQA website.

This can be found in the Course Reports dropdown on the Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage.

Visiting Examining documents have also been updated.

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13 October 2025 (The Gazette)

Three Renfrewshire primary schools have welcomed international teaching students from Czechia, Ukraine, China and France into their classrooms.

Todholm Primary, West Primary, and Wallace Primary welcomed five students from the University of West of Scotland’s (UWS) English Language and Teaching English to Students of Other Languages courses.

During their voluntary placements, students become active contributors to the classroom.

They primarily observe and assist with guided language activities in their mother tongue, including songs, games, storytelling, and cultural lessons.

Read more...

9 October 2025 (UWS)

The University of the West of Scotland (Paisley) has recently launched the BA (Hons) English Language degree for ESOL and EAL students. 

This unique degree has been specially designed for students who do not have English as a First Language. We have flexible study options from one to four years, and eligibility requirements that can cater for students with non-traditional academic backgrounds. 

We are very proud to offer this programme as a means of opening up higher education to students from migrant and refugee backgrounds. 

More information can be found on the attached flyer. We also invite interested students to join us at our in-person open day on Saturday 18 October. Tickets can be booked on Eventbrite.

9 October 2025 (Japan Foundation)

eSgoil, in partnership with Edinburgh University and the Japanese Foundation, is offering beginner courses for Japanese Language and Culture.

Aimed at secondary learners, the courses will be delivered in Microsoft Teams via Glow and are available at 2 levels: Beginners Level 1 and a Continuation Course for those with some prior experience of Japanese. Courses start 5/6 November and run for four weeks.

Visit the eSgoil website for more information and booking.

Read more...

9 October 2025 (Into Film Festival)

The Into Film Festival is a free, annual, nationwide celebration of film and education for 5-19 year olds.

The Festival will take place from 7-28 November with events in cinemas across the UK, including screenings in other languages.

Booking is now live so visit the website to see what's available near you!

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9 October 2025 (Oxford German Network)

The 14th Oxford German Olympiad is now open!

This year's theme is: Immer unterwegs - Mobilität und Reiselust

There are separate tasks for different ages, a category for groups and a taster competition for those with no prior experience of studying German. So get your primary and secondary pupils involved!

Visit the competition website for further information and details of how to enter. Submission deadline: Thursday 12 March 2026, at 12 noon.

Read more...

9 October 2025 (University of Strathclyde)

Time to book a visit!

At the University of Strathclyde, while fully supporting SCILT’s monthly Language Ambassadors online sessions and Scotland's Languages Explorer's Programme, we are also offering on-site visits.

So, get your learners to discover the joys of engaging with a new culture and learning and being able to use another language by organising a visit from one of our Language Ambassadors teams to your school!

Our Language Ambassadors are students of French, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish, on various degrees, including BA Honours in French and Spanish, International Business and a Modern Language, Law and a Language but also Engineering and Science degrees and they are keen to share their experiences of learning and using their languages as well as discovering new cultures.

This programme is free of charge and provides student role models to promote languages to young people in your school. We aim to encourage your learners to engage with young adults who have decided to study languages at university and to have a positive impact on the number of learners who choose languages as part of their high school curriculum.

Language Ambassadors can deliver a range of activities, such as:

• Presentation aimed at various levels about their experiences as university language learners, transitioning from school to university, and their experiences abroad, followed by a Q&A sessions about the benefits of studying languages
• ‘Meet & Chat Sessions’ for Senior phase students who have already selected a language
• Mini-presentations as part of a school-wide event
• Stand for a Careers Fair

Please visit the Language Ambassadors Programme webpage or contact the programme leader Cédric Moreau to discover more and book a visit from a Strathclyde Language Ambassadors team in 2025 / 2026.

7 October 2025 (University of Edinburgh)

Let’s bring your S6 learners’ work to life!

Presenting this work beyond the classroom walls is one of the best motivational factors. In this spirit, Babble, the University of Edinburgh language student magazine, will be delighted to showcase collective essays written by S6 learners from any Scottish schools in its annual supplement from this year onward.

This year's themes will be ‘Friendship’ and ‘Nature’, so any essays written in Chinese, German, French, Italian or Spanish and related to these are welcomed.

Deadline: 28 February 2026.

If you want to see what this Babble supplement looks like, please visit the Babble: The school issue webpage. You will see that Edinburgh schools benefit from the help of mentors, however for logistical reasons, the University of Edinburgh will unfortunately not be able to offer this for schools outwith that area.

If you are interested and/or want further details, please contact Sylvain Blanche at sblanche@ed.ac.uk

7 October 2025 (SCEN)

SCEN is delighted to be working in collaboration with the China Futures Society at University of Edinburgh on an exciting new exchange project. The programme twins Scottish schools with Thomas School Hefei in China to support mutual language learning and cultural exchange.

S2 pupils in Scotland and junior high students in Hefei will create short videos on themes such as school life, festivals, hobbies and even rap battles. Scottish students will record in Mandarin with English subtitles, while their Hefei peers will record in English with Chinese subtitles. Videos will be shared on joint social media accounts, creating a lively platform for global connection.

Further details can be found in the online pdf document.

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6 October 2025 (TES)

The Department for Education has announced sharp cuts to teacher-training bursaries in a wide range of subjects for the 2026-27 academic year.

Bursaries for languages and design and technology will fall from £26,000 to £20,000, while those for biology and geography will be cut from £26,000 to £5,000, DfE guidance shows.

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6 October 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.

Our 2025-26 scholars are working in small groups to provide written or video updates each month, documenting their time away. Their updates for September are now available to view on the CISS website, where the scholars share how they are settling in, tours of the campus and what they have been up to so far. 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 September's updates on the CISS website via the link below. And remember applications for the 2026/27 scholarship are open until 31 October 2025. 

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:

• Mearns Academy
• Mintlaw Academy
• Newbattle High School
• Wallace High School

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

• Toryglen Primary School
• Viewforth High School

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:

• Montrose Academy

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.

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2 October 2025 (French Film Festival)

Free French films for schools available this autumn from the French Film Festival UK Learning Programme 2025 – book your films now!

Download the programme, with full details of the films and a link to the booking form, from the French Film Festival Learning Programme webpage. Learning resources for each film are available to download after booking.

Last year over 26,500 primary and secondary pupils took part, with teachers noting, “A significant positive impact on student engagement with language learning” after participating in the programme.

Further information from schools@frenchfilmfestival.org.uk

2 October 2025 (Alliance Française)

The Alliance Française in Glasgow offers dedicated preparation classes for both National 5 and Higher French exams, designed to help students achieve their very best.

These courses focus on strengthening vocabulary, grammar, and key exam topics, while also placing special emphasis on speaking practice to build confidence for the oral component.

Visit the Alliance Française website for more information about these and other activities offered by the organisation.

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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 (British Council)

Apply to join the British Council's Reading for pleasure UK & Morocco guided partnership.

Connect and collaborate with teachers and pupils in a different country to foster a love of reading, celebrate diverse literature and engage young readers. Grow your reading community by sharing your favourite books and stories with your partner school and develop a shared passion and enthusiasm for reading.

The Reading for pleasure classroom resource will be the basis of the project, providing you with a range of suggested curriculum-related activities which you and your pupils can develop along with pupils in your partner school.

There will also be an opportunity for some shared language work across English, French and Arabic.

The guided partnership programme provides funding for one teacher to attend an in-person, two-day partner matching and planning workshop in Morocco in early December, including a contribution to supply cover.

This project is aimed at Secondary pupils aged 11-14 (KS3 or S1-S3). 

Visit the British Council website for more information and to apply by 24 October 2025.

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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...

26 September 2025 (CISS)

We are delighted to once again offer the opportunity for S6 school leavers to take part in the Tianjin Scholarship programme to study Mandarin at Tianjin Normal University during the 2026-27 academic year.  

This is more than just a gap year or a language course. This immersive, life-changing experience can broaden young people's horizons, develop their intercultural competences and open their eyes to endless possibilities for their future. They will have the chance to really master the Chinese language, as well as foster friendships that will last a lifetime and grow and develop as responsible, global citizens who will be effective contributors to society.  

The Scholarship is open for any current S6 pupil who attends a state school in a local authority that has a Confucius classroom hub. If your school is in an authority which does not have a hub, you are still eligible to apply if you are participating in the Discovering China National Qualifications courses. This Scholarship is intended to provide an immersive learning experience for pupils with no previous connections to Chinese language and culture. Therefore, applicants must be non-Chinese nationals from a non-native Chinese-speaking background. 

Applications for the 2026-27 Scholarship are now open with a closing date of 31 October 2025. Successful applicants at this stage will be informed within two weeks and invited to an interview in Glasgow during the following dates: 

• Wednesday 3 December 

• Thursday 4 December 

• Friday 5 December 

• Monday 8 December 

Successful interviewees will be informed by the end of November. There will also be a Scholarship information session on Monday 6 October, for more information and any questions you have.  

You can find more information about the Scholarship, as well as guidance documents and registration links, on the Scholarship project website

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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.

• Deadline: Friday 31 October 2025
• Read the guidance
• Apply online

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.

• Visit the website
• Subscribe to our newsletter 

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

23 September 2025 (SCILT)

If you're a student, or know a student, who is considering pursuing language studies beyond secondary education the Beyond School section of the SCILT website is a great starting point. With links to university and college language courses here in Scotland, UCAS and university guides UK-wide, and help and advice on study abroad options and volunteering overseas it covers a broad range of language learning opportunities.

In addition, there's information on school support activities from Scottish further and higher education establishments offering ways to promote language learning benefits and options to students, making it a useful resource for teachers and Careers Guidance staff too!

Read more...

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. 

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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.

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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. 

• 18 September: Developing a multilingual ethos in your primary school

• 2 October: First steps in teaching primary languages

• 29 October: Getting outdoors with primary languages

• 11 November: Give careers education a languages twist
   

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. 

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