Latest News

4 December 2025 (SCILT)

June 2025 marked the second edition of the Future of French en Écosse Forum. Drawing on the success of the first edition held at the University of Strathclyde in June 2024, a second edition of the forum took place on 23 June 2025 at the University of Edinburgh in partnership with SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, the Institut français d’Écosse and the Franco-Scottish Society.

The Language Trends Scotland 2024/25 report shows that while every Scottish learner is exposed to French in Primary Education, in 2024 only 2,300 sat a Higher French (a 50% drop compared with 2015) and 380 an Advanced Higher (a 43% drop compared with 2015). As French teachers, this steep decline in retention is worrying and raises questions. It impacts the quality of teaching and learning, notably at Senior phase level – with measures such as consortia between schools, mixed-language classes and reduced choice of languages, or indeed no choice, seen as acceptable solutions. It also undermines the future of French as a sustainable degree subject in universities and in the long term, the teaching of French as fewer students at universities means fewer future teachers.

In this context, having a place and a time to share experiences and plan for a better future for French in Scotland is more important than ever.

To explore the forum outputs visit the Future of French en Écosse webpage.

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4 December 2025 (CISS)

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

For November our groups of scholars have been writing about food and describing what they do in a typical day. Watch them take a trip Beijing, see the wide range of food they have been trying and find out what life is like on a Chinese university campus. 

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 November's updates on the CISS website via the link below. 

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4 December 2025 (Argyll & Bute/Highland/Aberdeen City/Fife Councils)

Commencing January 2026 and open to all Scottish schools (provided by Argyll & Bute/Highland/Aberdeen City/Fife Council).

These courses provide on the job professional learning and help teachers make time for languages in the curriculum. Teachers learn alongside their pupils in real time and are supported to lead the learning in their own class. Click here for more information and sign up.

Suitable for P4-7 classes. The lesson structure alternates between short bursts of direct teaching from the online teacher, followed by the class teachers leading their own class in a team game. This format allows the learning to remain active and fully engage the learners. Each lesson lasts approximately 40 minutes and will take place in a GLOW Microsoft Team. All resources will be available to download in advance of the session and will be stored in the GLOW Team.

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2 December 2025 (Consejería de Educación)

Offered by the University of Salamanca, Editorial Edinumen, and partner institutions, this series of online seminars offers a gateway to the MINELE Master's programme, bringing together renowned experts in language education and didactics. Each session explores cross-cutting themes rooted in evidence-based pedagogy, with insights from professionals in additional language teaching and Spanish as a foreign language.

Sessions take place online from 11 December 2025 to 14 May 2026. More information and registration is available on the Edinumen website.

There is a small charge for each session (free for ELEUK members). All sessions can also be found on the University of Salamanca website.

2 December 2025 (Goethe-Institut)

After the resounding success of last year’s inaugural edition, German Week returns in 2026 with renewed energy and fresh inspiration!

From 19 to 24 January 2026, the Goethe-Institut UK, the German Embassy in London, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) once again invite schools across the UK to take part in a week-long celebration of the German language and culture.

We’re excited to provide a wide range of creative and educational resources, as well as online and in-person events to help schools bring German to life in their classrooms.

Get ready for German Week with our 30-Day Journal! Specially designed for secondary school pupils, this creative journal offers daily activities to explore German language and culture in a fun and engaging way. Every school that applies can receive free copies by post - just complete the application form on the website!

Visit the website for more information about the event and to register interest in taking part.

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2 December 2025 (Japan Foundation)

Our online refresher course is for non-native-speaker-level Japanese teachers currently teaching Japanese in secondary and/or primary schools. If you want to brush up your Japanese skills, increase your Japanese teaching ability, and network with colleagues, then this four session course is a brilliant opportunity. Trainee teachers are also welcome to apply. School teachers who are not currently teaching Japanese but wish to do so are also welcome.

Visit the Japan Foundation website for full details.

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2 December 2025 (Franco Scottish Society)

Background:

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 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. There is a first-place prize of £300, and two runners-up prizes of £100 each, all sponsored by the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland. Schools not individual candidates will initially register to enter their students in the competition.

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.
• Approximately 500 words in length.
• The essay will be reviewed and proofed once by the candidate or the candidate’s teacher before the final version of the essay is submitted. This proof-reading and feedback following submission and judging are seen as a learning exercise and will be limited to drawing the candidate’s attention to where improvements can be made in accuracy of language and style.

Timeline:

• Registration will be open for schools from Monday 12 January 2026.
• Registration will close on Friday 30 January 2026.
• All necessary information, including this round’s essay topic and supporting material will be sent to registered schools on Wednesday 4 February 2026.
• The deadline for submitting essays will be Wednesday 25 March 2026.

2 December 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, including heritage languages, 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 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.

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

2 December 2025 (Institut français)

Need a boost in preparing for your Advanced Higher French Exam? Why not join the Institut français’ online workshop?

The workshop aims to help learners prepare for the Advanced Higher in French in the 4 different reception and production skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

The workshop will be delivered by an experienced and qualified French native-speaking teacher familiar with the exam.

Visit the website for details.

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2 December 2025 (Institut français)

Fancy a French course in Edinburgh with native speakers for young learners?

The Institut français d'Écosse organises French classes on Thursday after school and Saturday morning.

Check our website for further information.

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1 December 2025 (The Herald)

Gaelic-speaking Scots have been asked to help transcribe 1,500 hours of Gaelic audio recordings in a bid to improve how computers understand the language.

Experts at the University of Edinburgh are leading the project, which is set to begin on 2 December.

They hope the scheme, entitled ‘Opening the Well’, will allow AI models to better understand the patterns of the language. The project will also develop a searchable database for research and study.

30 November 2025 (BBC)

Gaelic and Scots have now been recognised as official languages as part of a range of new measures coming into force on St Andrew's Day.

The Scottish Languages Act, which MSPs voted through in June, also empowers parents to ask for a Gaelic school to be established in their area and aims to ensure that more qualifications are available in Gaelic.

It includes powers for ministers to commission research into the use of Gaelic and Scots and establish teaching standards for the languages.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes called it a "historic milestone".

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28 November 2025 (BBC)

Kernewek, the Cornish language, is set to stand alongside Welsh, Irish Gaelic and Scots Gaelic after the government recommended it for the highest level of protection available.

Part III status under the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages requires the government to adopt measures to protect and promote the language in areas such as education, the justice system and culture.

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28 November 2025 (British Council)

Pupils from five schools, stretching from the Outer Hebrides to Edinburgh, travelled to Paris this week to take part in the Franco-British Youth Ocean Conference, a bilingual summit organised by the British Council in partnership with the French Ministry of Education and the French Development Agency.

The two-day conference took place at the French Development Agency building, La Mistral, in the heart of Paris, simulating the UN's Conference of the Parties (COP) climate negotiations under the theme of the UN's Sustainable Development Goal ‘Life Below Water’. The conference set out to give young people the chance to collaborate internationally, develop language skills, and contribute to environmental action.

Working in bilingual teams with French partner schools, pupils represented different nations and sectors as they negotiated solutions to ocean challenges.

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27 November 2025 (Lingobox Learning)

French Christmas webinar

If you missed our Primary French Christmas Webinar, don’t worry — we’ve created a short 10-minute highlights version you can watch anytime on YouTube. It’s packed with simple activities, songs, and ideas you can use straight away in class: 

Lingobox French Christmas Webinar

Enjoy our free playlist of fun French Christmas songs!

We’ve also put together a full playlist of our most popular festive songs — perfect for assemblies, warm-ups, or building confidence with seasonal vocabulary. You’ll find the full Lingobox French Christmas songs playlist below: 

Lingobox French Christmas Songs 

Want try all our Lingobox resources for free this Christmas? 

Explore our complete French Christmas Lingobox — including songs, games, activities, teaching videos, active songs and much more — with a FREE individual or school trial.

Find all the info on how to get started today below:

Lingobox Learning Individual and School Free Trials

27 November 2025 (Goethe-Institut)

The Internationale Deutscholympiade is the world’s biggest German language contest. The biannual competition offers contestants the opportunity to put their German language skills to the test at three different levels (A2 and B1). Of course, the competition is not only about language skills, but strengthens intercultural skills and international teamwork throughout both the national and the international competitions.

Each participating country hosts national qualifying rounds to determine the top two 'Olympians' who will represent their country at the IDO finals during the summer holidays, where they compete against the world's best German learners. The preliminary digital national round for participants from the UK starts on the 27 October 2025. We will accept submissions until 18 January 2026.

Visit the Goethe-Institut website for more information and how to take part.

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27 November 2025 (Alliance Française)

The Alliance Française in Glasgow offers a wide range of French courses for adults, children and teens. Registration is now open for the new term in January. Follow the appropriate ink to find out more and to sign up:

• Adult courses
• Youth courses

27 November 2025 (SCILT)

Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?

SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your learners, from interactive advent calendars and games, to festive facts, songs and downloadable worksheets. Find resources in BSL, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Scots, Spanish and Urdu! And discover how Chrismas is celebrated in many countries around the world. 

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26 November 2025 (The Guardian)

There’s an Irish saying, tír gan teanga, tír gan anam: a country without a language is a country without a soul. Representatives of some of Europe’s estimated 60 minority languages – or minoritised, as they define them – met in Barcelona recently to discuss what it means to lose a language, and what it takes to save it.

Language diversity is akin to biodiversity, an indicator of social wellbeing, but some of Europe’s languages are falling into disuse. Breton, for example, is dying out because its speakers are dying, and keeping languages alive among young people is challenging in an increasingly monolingual digital world.

Catalan, which is spoken by about 10 million people, is the poster child of successful minoritised languages. Thanks to decades of linguistic immersion in public education, from nursery to university, about 93.4% of the population can speak or understand Catalan, in addition to Spanish. Both are co-official languages in Catalonia, and the result is a culture that is almost completely and unselfconsciously bilingual.

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25 November 2025 (Goethe-Institut)

The German Film Festival in Scotland is celebrating its 10th anniversary! From 22 January to 22 February 2026, we will be presenting a diverse and exciting selection of German films covering a wide range of topics and genres.

The festival also offers a selection of three films specifically for younger audiences and school screenings. All films will be shown in their original language with English subtitles in participating independent cinemas throughout Scotland.

Further information can be found on the Goethe-Institut website where the full programme and booking details will be available from 15 December.

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25 November 2025 (Times Higher Education)

As a former diplomat, I am acutely aware of the value of learning languages – and the paucity of opportunities in the UK to do so well.

That is why I am so disappointed by the University of Nottingham’s decision to suspend applications to its foreign languages degrees. The result is that one of the largest modern language units in the UK, at an institution that loftily describes itself as Britain’s global university, may be forced to close in the coming years.

The nearby University of Leicester is also consulting on ending modern language programmes. And these two institutions are just the latest to put language teaching in the cross hairs, following in the bloody footsteps of Cardiff, Sheffield, Lancashire and Aberdeen universities.

Clearly, universities should not be expected to maintain teaching programmes at a loss. Nottingham has a £30 million funding shortfall (although that hasn’t stopped it planning a £150 million medical school, which a faculty member described to me as “the vice-chancellor’s white elephant”). But the progressive closure of foreign language degree programmes is especially worrying because of the desperate need for language skills in government.

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24 November 2025 (The Conversation)

The decline of languages education in England is a familiar and depressing story. Take-up of French at GCSE is down from 25% in 2009-10 to 18% in 2024-25. German has halved in the same period from 10% to 5%.

There is also a significant gap in take-up at GCSE by disadvantaged pupils (34%) compared with those from more privileged backgrounds (50%).

In March 2025, the interim report of a review of England’s national curriculum diagnosed languages as a particular problem area. Languages education was deemed to be furthest away from the principles set out by the review panel. These included an engaging, coherent, knowledge-rich and inclusive curriculum, and the involvement of teachers in its design and testing.

The review’s final report, now published, recommends a much sharper focus on the provision of languages in primary schools. It encourages a smoother transition from primary to secondary, which has been shown to improve languages take-up even in areas with relatively high numbers of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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23 November 2025 (BBC)

Eighty years ago a small crowd gathered in a hall in Tobermory on Mull for a preview screening of I Know Where I'm Going.

Produced by two legends of British cinema, the romantic comedy used locations on the Hebridean island and featured residents in the cast.

Hollywood director Martin Scorsese describes it as one of his favourite movies, and credits its makers - Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger - for influencing his own work.

What is less well known is I Know Where I'm Going brought Gaelic to the big screen for the first time.

[..] As well as telling the film's story, Powell and Pressburger wanted to give viewers a sense of the island's community and culture.

As part of that, they decided to use Gaelic.

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21 November 2025 (The Guardian)

Universities are blaming a “societal shift” for the axing of dozens of foreign language degrees and even entire departments, citing a lack of demand among students – but can years of study be easily replaced by AI or online translation tools?

Not so, according to Michael Lynas, the UK country director for the Duolingo language app, who argues there is no good substitute for the hard graft of learning a language as a way of seeing another country’s culture from the inside.

“Sometimes people say: ‘There’s translation apps now so why would you need to learn a language?’ But that’s not what young people in the UK are saying, they are actually spending more time learning languages on Duolingo than any other age group,” Lynas said.

Read more...

13 November 2025 (Bilingualism Matters)

Do you teach or work in a primary school in Scotland?

We are inviting you to take part in our survey, exploring how we support multilingualism and learning for sustainability. Could these two topics be integrated? How might they complement each other?

By sharing your ideas, views and experiences, you will help us understand the challenges that teachers face, as well as shedding light on the many great examples of good practice and innovation that happen every day.

• It takes 10-15 minutes to complete
• The survey closes on 31 January 2026

The survey is part of a project called Sustainable Designs for Living and Learning (click to find out more).

Click the link below to complete the survey. Thank you!

Take the survey

11 November 2025 (Japan Foundation)

Applications for JaLaChamp 2026, our video and speech contest for young learners of Japanese in the UK, are now open!

The contest is a great opportunity for primary and secondary school children who are studying Japanese to celebrate their achievements and passion for learning Japanese.

There are two categories:

• The speech category - students give a speech on a theme of their choice (aimed at secondary students studying Japanese as a foreign language)
• The video category - students are asked to create an original video based on a set theme either by individual or part of a group (open to all primary and secondary students including those who have lived in Japan and who speak Japanese at home). The theme for the video category of JaLaChamp 2026 is 私わたし(たち)のおすすめのサンドイッチ ”My/Our Favourite Sandwiches”!

We want to encourage students to share with us their thoughts and viewpoints, as well as show us their creativity in full and have fun challenging themselves by entering this contest and using their Japanese!

Visit the Japan Foundation website for application information and guidelines.

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7 November 2025 (Languages@Strathclyde)

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

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

Welcome to the Living Languages Series 2025-26!

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

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

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

Living Languages 2025-26 Programme

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

In conversation with Cass Ezeji, artist and Gaelic speaker.

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

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

Tickets available now ► Eventbrite

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

Tickets available soon

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

Join us for a series of very special evenings !

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

7 November 2025 (Languages Week Scotland)

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

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

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

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4 November 2025 (IFE)

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

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

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

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

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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

5 September 2025 (SCILT)

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

Our Signpost Sessions are for you if are looking for:

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

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

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

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

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

Read more...

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...

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