The family of a former Japanese mayor who helped strengthen Portsmouth’s international friendships has visited Southsea to see a new memorial in his honour. Please read the full article on the Portsmouth City Council news site.
Family of late Japanese mayor visits Southsea to see memorial Torii gate – Portsmouth City Council
Students from the Solent Language Network proudly represented Portsmouth at the annual D-Day commemorations in Caen, France, on Friday 5 June 2026 to Saturday 6th June 2026, participating in a moving ceremony attended by veterans, dignitaries, military personnel, and international guests.
The visit provided a unique opportunity for students to honour those who served during the Second World War while strengthening the historic links between Portsmouth and its twin city of Caen.
During the ceremony, students delivered outstanding performances of both national anthems, singing God Save the King and La Marseillaise, before performing the moving hymn O Valiant Heart. Their professionalism, respect, and musical excellence were warmly received by all in attendance. We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to Simon Legg, Music Teacher at Trafalgar School, for his invaluable support with the choir group.
A particularly memorable moment came when Elliana Haque, a student from Trafalgar School, joined a student from Collège Jean Moulin in Caen and a British soldier to recite the poignant poem Pourquoi ? by Cyril Walter Crain. The trilingual performance was delivered with dignity and emotion, highlighting the shared commitment of young people from both nations to remembering the past and building lasting friendships for the future.
The Salterns Trust Academy delegation included students and staff from three Portsmouth secondary schools: Trafalgar School, Admiral Lord Nelson School and Mayfield School. The group was also honoured to be joined by Claire Haque, Governor at Trafalgar School, whose support contributed greatly to the success of the visit.
Students were delighted to meet and speak with the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth, Councillor Abdul Kadir, and Aristide Olivier, Mayor of Caen. Both mayors took time to congratulate the students personally, thanking them for their beautiful performances and for representing their cities with such pride, dignity and professionalism.
The ceremony concluded with a powerful gesture of fraternity and remembrance. Wreaths were presented by the Gurkhas, Nepalese soldiers serving within the British Army’s 3rd (UK) Division, to the various associations, veterans’ groups and civic authorities. These were then laid during the Act of Remembrance, providing a poignant reminder of the enduring bonds between the nations that fought together for freedom.
The trip was made possible through the exceptional collaboration between Portsmouth and Caen. Special thanks are extended to Carol Clark, International and Sponsorship Officer within Culture, Leisure and Regulatory Services at Portsmouth City Council, whose dedication and commitment to international partnerships continue to create invaluable opportunities for young people across Portsmouth.
Particular appreciation is also extended to Valérie Rapeaud, Director of Public Relations, Protocol and International Relations for the City of Caen, together with Noëmie Dauchier, Chargée de Mission Relations Internationales, and Andrea De Campos Andres, whose impeccable coordination of the delegation’s day-to-day programme ensured that every aspect of the visit ran smoothly. Their professionalism, hospitality, and attention to detail enabled students and staff alike to focus fully on the significance of the commemorative events and made the experience both memorable and enriching for all involved.
The delegation would also like to thank Brittany Ferries for providing a pleasant and comfortable crossing between Portsmouth and Caen.
Reflecting on the experience, the accompanying staff praised the students for their exemplary conduct, maturity and commitment throughout the visit. Their participation demonstrated not only their musical and linguistic talents but also their understanding of the importance of remembrance, international friendship and cultural exchange.
The visit stands as a powerful example of how young people can play an active role in preserving shared history while building meaningful connections across borders. The students returned to Portsmouth with memories that will stay with them for many years and with a deeper appreciation of the sacrifices made by previous generations.
This visit also highlighted the importance of language learning and intercultural understanding. Through their performances, interactions with French students and participation in an international commemorative event, the students embodied the values of respect, collaboration and global citizenship that are at the heart of education within the Salterns Trust Academy.
The Salterns Trust Academy would like to express its sincere gratitude to all those in Portsmouth and Caen who made this unforgettable experience possible. Through remembrance, friendship and shared values, the partnership between the two cities continues to flourish, inspiring a new generation to carry forward the legacy of peace, cooperation and mutual understanding.
The Solent Language Network is pleased to invite primary and secondary schools to take part in the Careers with Languages event on Monday 6 October 2025 as part of the fortnight of focus on careers and employment with languages.
The event is part of a broader fortnight of celebration running from 6 to 17 October, which will also include competitions and promotional videos showcasing careers with languages.
The morning programme for secondary schools will run from 9.00am to 11.50am at Admiral Lord Nelson School.
This exciting and interactive morning is aimed at year 8 and year 9 students, designed to support them with the GCSE options process by exploring the rich and varied career opportunities that language learning can open up.
Throughout the morning, students will take part in a variety of engaging and informative activities including:
The afternoon programme for primary schools will run from 12.30pm to 2.30pm at Admiral Lord Nelson School.
This interactive afternoon session is designed to inspire younger learners (years 5 and 6) by introducing them to the exciting world of languages and the diverse careers that language skills can lead to.
During the session, students will take part in a variety of fun and motivating activities including:
This free event offers a powerful opportunity to inspire students to see languages not just as a subject, but as a gateway to global careers.
Places are limited, so colleagues are strongly encouraged to book early to secure participation. Secondary schools can bring up to 15 students.
To confirm your school’s attendance, contact Elle Smith at [email protected] by Friday 19 September. Include the number of students and staff attending.
There will be two partners’ meetings over the next academic year for the Portsmouth City of Languages initiative. Agendas will be shared nearer the time, but please save the dates:
We hope that as many people as possible will be able to attend to find out about our work and the plans for the next Celebrating Languages Week in the spring term.
For more information, please contact [email protected].
The steering group for the initiative ‘Portsmouth ~ City of Languages’ would like to invite all Portsmouth school and college leaders, or a representative, to attend a partners’ virtual meeting on Friday 21 March 2025 from 1pm – 2pm, during our first ever citywide Celebrating Languages Week.
An agenda which includes the meeting link can be found here.
If you are keen to hear about what has already been established and find out how you can get involved, please visit the dedicated PEP website page and attend the meeting above.
We are excited to announce Portsmouth’s first-ever Celebrating Languages in Portsmouth week and would love as many schools as possible in the city to participate. This special week will take place from Monday 17 to Friday 21 March 2025, aligning with the University of Portsmouth’s Global Week. It will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the wealth of languages and cultures that enrich the lives of so many of our learners.
As this is a pioneering event, we encourage schools and all education settings to participate to the extent they are able. A shared Google Drive has been established, where colleagues can upload and exchange ideas, creating a directory of activities that can be used both this year and in future celebrations.
To spark initial ideas, consider having older students greet pupils in their first language at the start of the day, or try incorporating recipes from around the world with students explaining their significance, names, and ingredients in their own language. For those who wish to take it further, why not host a dedicated celebration day or plan rotating activities throughout the week?
Whatever your level of involvement, we invite all of our education settings to join us in this celebration and to reflect on how it could grow in the coming years to truly honour the vibrant tapestry of languages and backgrounds we are privileged to have in Portsmouth.
More information will follow shortly, outlining details of what we hope will be a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the richly diverse languages heritage of our learners.
Please get in touch at [email protected] if you would like to be more actively involved or have exciting ideas to share.
How your school can get involved:
Friendship competition: young people in Portsmouth are invited to create something which represents friendship to them. It could be a poster, a cartoon, a video, an audio file or a piece of poetry and should include the word for friend or friendship in a language of their choice, perhaps their home language or a language they are learning at school or independently.
The closing date for entries is midday on Friday 7 March 2025.
Celebrate Speaking (with NCLE, the British Council and ALL): Each February a festival of language is held when your students can show off their language skills. This can be a language they are learning at school or one they speak in their community. It’s about sharing a love of language and celebrating the diversity of people in the UK who speak a language other than English.
What does friendship mean to you?
In preparation for a ‘week of celebrating languages’, young people in Portsmouth are invited to create something which represents friendship to them. It could be a poster, a cartoon, a video, an audio file or a piece of poetry and should include the word for friend or friendship in a language of their choice, perhaps their home language or a language they are learning at school or independently.
This could also be a great opportunity for discussion about how friendships are built when children come from different countries and cultures.
As a starting point, it might be about discussing what key language might enable us to greet others, or maybe about learning the words for the qualities that make a good friend.
Learners could choose which language, and how much, to use in their competition entry.
There will be two categories:
with certificates for all submissions and prizes for the winning entry in each category. Additionally, submissions will be displayed on the Portsmouth, City of Languages website.
The closing date for entries is midday on Friday 7 March 2025.
Entries should be sent digitally to Elle Smith, Solent Language Hub Administrator at [email protected].
The steering group for the initiative ‘Portsmouth ~ City of Languages’ would like to invite all Portsmouth school and college leaders, or a representative, to attend a partners’ virtual meeting on Friday 29 November 2024 from 1pm – 2pm.
An agenda which includes the meeting link can be found here.
If you are keen to hear about what has already been established and find out how you can get involved, please visit the dedicated PEP website page and attend the meeting above.
Language Trends England 2024 surveyed teachers at more than 1,300 primary, secondary and independent schools to gather information about language education. It is the 22nd report of its kind and follows 2023’s research which found two thirds of secondary state schools were teaching just one modern foreign language.
For further information, see the full Language Trends England 2024 report.
You can also read a blog post from Vicky Gough, who looks at the results of the British Council Language Trends England 2024 survey and finds schools struggling, but there’s hope for the future.
Friday 22 March 2024 saw nearly 70 students at Charter Academy coming together to take part in a ‘Celebrating Language Diversity’ event run by EMAS and the University of Portsmouth and based on a project run previously by Sarah Bawa-Mason and others as part of the Translation Nation Project 2010-2014.
As students entered the theatre, they were greeted by MFL trainee teachers from the university and each given a card printed with the word ‘hello’ in a language from around the world. The students had to do their best at having a go at saying the word and finding another student with the same language. These students then sat together at a table. Each table ended up with six or seven students and two trainee teachers.
Once settled at their tables, students were encouraged to say hello and to introduce themselves in a language that they knew and everyone else on the table had a go at repeating the language. The room came alive with different languages being spoken on every table!
The next part of the session focussed on which strategies can be used to enjoy a story in a language that you don’t understand. Tanya Riordan, from the University of Portsmouth, nearly sent the students to sleep with her short rendition of a story in French before introducing them to a range of strategies to bring the story alive. The students were able to identify a number of strategies used, from visuals, to colour coding, to use of voices, actors and props.
Marie Allen from EMAS then introduced the notion of translation: what it means, why we do it and why translated stories are so important. The students did a fantastic job of completing the translation quiz. Would you know for example, which wizarding school from Harry Potter is translated into ‘Poulard’ in French?
Students that can read in their first language had been identified prior to the session. These students were used as storytellers for their group. Using only their first language (and the strategies previously identified by the students), the stories were shared and the table worked their magic to decipher what the story was all about.
The afternoon session saw each and every student produce their very own book. They became translators and created a translated version of the story that had been shared with them. Some students made books in English, some in their own first language and some even made books in the language that they are learning at school! One pupil – whom we suggested might want to be a translator in the future – recreated his story with his very own rhymes!
A truly wonderful experience, enjoyed by all involved. The Assistant Head noted that ‘He heard students’ voices that day that he had never heard before.’ and a couple of quotes from the trainee teachers involved included: ‘What a lovely day Friday was, I thought it was such a well-run, well-thought out event by Tanya and Marie and what a great initiative that was really well received and enjoyed by the pupils. It was uplifting and inspiring to be part of.’ And ‘I think the student reading his story in Farsi to us all and the others on our table so enthusiastically turning into a book (from a story they understood not one word!) – 2 of them even wrote it in French – will stay as a memory from the PGCE course forever.’
For more information, please contact:
Marie Allen
Email: [email protected]
Tania Riordan
Email: [email protected]