National

Each year, the IoL Educational Trust (IoLET) hosts an Awards Evening to honour candidates who have performed exceptionally well in the IoL Educational Trust (IoLET) examinations.

Along with awards of academic recognition, the Threlford Memorial Cup is also presented during the ceremony and is awarded to an individual, organisation or project that has made a significant contribution to ‘fostering the study of languages’. The David Crystal Trophy is presented to the runner up.

The winners of the Threlford Memorial Cup and the David Crystal Trophy are chosen by a panel who now invite nominations for the 2014 awards.

If you know of a person or organisation that deserves to be recognised for their work within the field of language study we would be very pleased to hear from you; please use the nomination form below.

For further information please contact: Debbie Butler at the Chartered Institute of Linguists via email comms@iol.org.uk or telephone +44 (0)20 7940 3100.

CLOSING DATE FOR NOMINATIONS: Friday 5 September 2014 (Downloadable form can be found below)

Awards will be presented in November.

More about the award and past winners

The Threlford Memorial Cup was originally presented in 1935 by the founder of the Institute of Linguists, Sir Lacon Threlford, for “fostering the study of languages”. This award attracts a strong field of contenders and the David Crystal Trophy is given as a Special Commendation.

Previously awarded for excellence in an examination, the Threlford Memorial Cup is now presented to a person, institution or organisation that has strived to foster the study of languages, in keeping with Sir Lacon’s intent. A wide range of winners representing a diverse and innovative spectrum of language learning has been presented with the cup.

The current cup holder is 2013 award winner Lizzie Fane, founder of the website thirdyearabroad.com. Lizzie was astonished by the lack of information and advice available to help her prepare for her year abroad as a student of Italian. The website she developed in response to this has grown into a flourishing business, offering practical advice to language students embarking on their third year abroad, including a jobs board for students and graduates with linguistic and intercultural skills.

The 2012 winner, Arsenal Double Club Languages, were praised for their ambition to address both gender and social imbalance in language learning and their innovative blend of education through enjoyment. Special mention was also given for the careful and thoughtful nomination application.

2011 winners, Italian in Italy, were commended for their work both in their language centre and through participating in Europe-wide projects. In 2010, Luisa Ribeiro was awarded for her work with the Portuguese speaking Community, and on the importance of home languages, on behalf of Lambeth Council, and in 2009, the ‘Our Languages Project’ won for supporting community languages and aiming to encourage community cohesion, celebrating pupil achievement and promoting plurilingualism.

The A Level Content Advisory Board has just published its report on the Modern Languages A Level http://alcab.org.uk/reports/

The OFQUAL Consultation on the new A Level is available here http://comment.ofqual.gov.uk/developing-new-qualifications-for-2016/?dm_i=BTP,2MP36,FQ6GTP,9LYZL,1

Languages Manifesto

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Languages is launching its Manifesto Campaign for Languages aimed at all political parties in the run-up to the next election.

The University Council of Modern Languages (UCML) GCSE requirement

UCML is launching a campaign aimed at all universities to ask for a language qualification as an entry requirement regardless of subject of study.

More information on these campaigns is available on the UCML website http://www.ucml.ac.uk/news/232

From Monday 28 July to Friday 8 August, UCL will run a non residential summer school for year 12 students who are interested in learning a new language. Below is an overview of key information about the summer school. If you would like more information on the programme, please visit our website.

The programme
Students don’t have to know a foreign language to take part in this  summer school as the summer school is both for students who are interested in language learning, and for students who would like to try something new with their summer holiday.

The language sessions are taught in a fun and interactive way and are all taught at beginners level. At the end of the two weeks, we aim to have taught students to basic conversational level.

Students can choose to learn one of the following languages:

·        Arabic

·        French

·        German

·        Italian

·        Japanese

·        Mandarin

·        Spanish

We will also run a variety of academic skills sessions in the afternoons, with a focus on learning techniques for university study, getting to know UCL, and tips for applying to university. This offers students a great opportunity to get to know other students and to really find out about university life.

How to apply
Students can apply for the Language and Study Skills Summer School by completing the online application form.

For information on eligibility requirements, please visit our website.

Applications will close on the 9 May 2014 but we encourage applications to be submitted as early as possible.

Quick Facts
·        The summer school is free of charge to attend

·        UCL will cover the cost of travel to and from the summer school, lunch, and refreshments.

·        It runs from Monday 28 July to Friday 8 August, 2014 (excluding weekends)

·        There are 100 spaces available for year 12 students

·        Each day runs from 9am-3.30pm

·        Students  must have 100% attendance on the summer school

Please  circulate this information  to all relevant year 12 students. If you, or your students, have any questions about the summer school, please don’t hesitate to contact me on alice.salmon@ucl.ac.uk or 020 7679 7003.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has announced an additional £3.1 million to support a new programme of activity led by the University of Southampton which will encourage more young people of all backgrounds to study languages at university.

From August 2013, a consortium led by the University’s Centre for Languages Linguistics and Area Studies will deliver a three-year programme which builds upon the achievements of the Routes into Languages activities by stimulating new ideas and partnerships to address the challenges arising from reforms in schools and higher education.

The new programme, which will retain the Routes into Languages name, will encourage greater collaboration between universities, schools and employers, with the aim of raising aspirations and attainment of students in secondary schools and higher education. Activities will include events, the appointing of student ambassadors and sustained interventions such as programmes of languages in context and a national language-related Spelling Bee competition. There will also be a focus on increasing participation in work and study abroad, and promoting career opportunities and employability for language students.

University of Southampton Professor Mike Kelly, Director of the Routes into Languages programme, says:  “I am delighted that we shall be able to build on the remarkable achievements of Routes in promoting the study of languages. The HEFCE investment will facilitate a unique programme of collaboration between more than 60 universities across England, working with hundreds of schools and thousands of students. The new programme, co-ordinated by the team at the University of Southampton, will make a real impact on the take-up of languages and of opportunities to work and study abroad.”

Chris Millward, HEFCE Associate Director, comments:  “We are very pleased to continue our support for this important programme to raise demand from young people to study modern foreign languages. Employers have consistently highlighted the importance of languages and intercultural skills within a globalised labour force. The new programme’s activities will complement our recent funding settlement for the year abroad by promoting language-based studies, and study and work abroad, to students in all disciplines.”

Professor Jim Coleman, Chair of the University Council of Modern Languages (UCML), says:  “HEFCE’s initiative underlines the enormous importance of language study in this country and UCML’s members enthusiastically welcome this renewed support. University language departments are totally committed to championing language learning in schools, to maximising outward mobility and to increasing the take-up of languages by students in all disciplines. We are renewing language curricula and expanding access to provide graduates with the full range of capabilities which the job market demands. HEFCE’s backing helps us enormously in achieving these goals – this is a great day for languages.”

HEFCE is continuing to support modern foreign languages within its programme of support for strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS). Following advice from the SIVS Advisory Group, HEFCE is considering how collaborative provision may sustain the modern foreign language supply in higher education, despite the continued decline in applications to modern foreign language degree courses.