In this section:
General
Useful blog posts
- Convincing your headteacher that primary languages are important
Clare Seccombe | Association for Language Learning - KS2 MFL – Incorporate DfE targets without boring pupils
Kate Percival | Teachwire - The place of the pillar of phonics in the key stage 2 languages curriculum
Clare Seccombe | Changing Phase - Creativity and talk in languages education | Research in Primary Languages (RiPL)
Read this article about how the DELTEA study has found ways to support teacher learning about creativity and talk in languages education. This aligns with Voice 21’s ongoing work to foster the development of spoken language which has been linked to children’s learning and life chances.
Websites for language teaching and learning
Light Bulb Languages | Clare Seccombe
Find over 8000 language resources for French, Spanish, German and Italian on this site. Browse by topic, level, skill or theme and download or print for free. Clare also blogs regularly, sharing great ideas and links to resources.
Lisa Stevens
Lisa is a primary language educator and consultant who shares lots of ideas for teaching primary languages.
My Primary Languages Classroom
Thoughts, ideas and inspiration for everything primary MFL. Ellie Chettle Cully shares fantastic ideas and resources for the primary school language learner.
Cave Languages
Sue Cave is an experienced specialist primary languages teacher and trainer and is passionate about the teaching of languages in primary schools. There are lots of free resources on Sue’s amazing website.
Rachel Hawkes
Rachel Hawkes shares lots for both primary and secondary languages teachers. The website contains resources, ideas and strategies for promoting, teaching and learning languages. It is hoped that they will support heads of languages and teachers of Spanish, German and French.
French
Institut Français
The Institut Français is dedicated to helping schools and families with their learning and teaching experience. In this section, you will find information about French or bilingual education in the UK, or schools with a particular emphasis on French, as well as teaching resources, activities for children, training, and more.
The Institut is also in the process of revamping the primary French scheme of work. #LesPetitesLeçonsdeFrançais is a series of short videos made for beginners of French who want to discover the language in a fun and easy way. Every two weeks, embark on a 2-minute journey to unveil the secrets of the language, find out tips and tricks to sound like a French person and order your baguette and pain au chocolat like no one else!
Spanish
German
Resources and initiatives from the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE)
GIMAGINE promotes and supports the learning of German as a foreign language. NCLE provides resources and materials to teaching professionals in state-funded schools in England, including:
- Let’s get started with German in primary schools!
- Vorsprung Deutsch
- Free online upskilling course: Teaching German to children with Felix & Franzi
- German Teachers’ Days at the Goethe-Institut
- Conversation class for German teachers
- DLL Deutsch Lehren Lernen
- Careers Roadshows
- German A Level Days – Climate Neutral Town