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The new Routes into Languages website is currently in development and will be launching in the new year!

 

Promoting the take-up of languages and student mobility

West Midlands

Y12 HE Taster Day

Date: 
Friday, 9 June, 2023 - 10:00 to 16:30
Event Type: 
Visit
Region: 
West Midlands
Location: 
University of Warwick

As part of our outreach work at the University of Warwick we are delighted to invite Year 12 students in the West Midlands studying a Modern Foreign Language to a Higher Education Languages Taster Day. The aim of this day is for students to gain an insight into what it is like to study languages at university by attending specially developed sessions run by lecturers in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. It will be a fantastic enrichment opportunity for students and an ideal experience to reflect on as part of UCAS Personal Statements. Please find further details here: Higher Education Languages Taster Day for Y12 students (warwick.ac.uk)

Mother Tongue Other Tongue Poetry Competition

Date: 
Thursday, 30 March, 2023 - 17:00 to Friday, 26 May, 2023 - 17:00
Event Type: 
Competition
Region: 
West Midlands
Location: 
Online/West Midlands

The aim of the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition is to celebrate languages, culture and language-learning, giving secondary school students the opportunity to practise and improve their foreign language skills (any language they are learning in school) and/or appreciate and celebrate their heritage, using poetry. The regional competition is being led by Routes into Languages West Midlands at The University of Warwick.

Deadline for entries is 26 May 2023. Please find further information here: Mother Tongue Other Tongue Poetry Competition (warwick.ac.uk)

Summer Holiday Language Immersion Challenge

Date: 
Monday, 27 June, 2022 - 09:00 to Monday, 12 September, 2022 - 15:30
Event Type: 
Other
Region: 
West Midlands
Location: 
In schools

NB This activity is open to all schools in the UK

 

The Summer Holiday Language Immersion Challenge is aimed at students in years 7 to 13 and is designed to keep them practising their target language during the long summer break.

Students each receive a booklet containing 14 activities for them to complete, ranging from sending an email, watching a film or reading a teenagers blog in the target language to name just a few.

Participants will be awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates after the summer holidays, depending on how many of the challenges they have completed.

There are an optional 5 advanced challenges for those students in years 10 to 13, and if they complete all of these as well as the first 14 challenges, they are awarded a Platinum certificate.

The challenge booklet and certificates are attached and available for teachers to download.

Summer Holiday Languages Immersion Challenge

Date: 
Tuesday, 20 July, 2021 - 16:15 to Friday, 24 September, 2021 - 17:00
Event Type: 
Competition
Region: 
West Midlands
Location: 
National Competition Open to Schools Across the UK

The Summer Holiday Language Immersion Challenge is aimed at students in years 7 to 13 and is designed to keep them practising their target language during the long summer break.

Students each receive a booklet containing 14 activities for them to complete, ranging from sending an email, watching a film or reading a teenagers blog in the target language to name just a few.

Participants will be awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze certificates after the summer holidays, depending on how many of the challenges they have completed.

There are an optional 5 advanced challenges for those students in years 10 to 13, and if they complete all of these as well as the first 14 challenges, they are awarded a Platinum certificate.

The challenge booklet is available to download below.

Editable versions of each of the certificates are also attached below for teachers to produce and print out for their students. 

Mother Tongue Other Tongue Poetry Competition

Date: 
Wednesday, 17 March, 2021 - 16:45 to Wednesday, 26 May, 2021 - 17:00
Event Type: 
Competition
Region: 
West Midlands
Location: 
West Midlands Schools

A multilingual poetry competition that celebrates cultural diversity and the many languages currently spoken in schools across the UK.

The aim of the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition is to celebrate languages, culture and language-learning, giving secondary school students the opportunity to practise and improve their foreign language skills (any language they are learning in school) and appreciate their heritage, using poetry. The regional competition is being led by Routes into Languages West Midlands at Aston University.

The idea was originally developed by the Faculty of Humanities, Languages and Social Science at Manchester Metropolitan University and Routes into Languages North West and due to its success, was rolled out across the country.

Programme: 

The competition

Mother Tongue entries will be in two parts: The first part is the poem. This can be an original, creative piece, or a poem or song that is ‘remembered’ – i.e. something in your first language that you recall, or that has been told to you by a relative. This can be in any language but English. The second part should be a short explanation of the inspiration behind the piece, where it comes from, or why it is important to the person submitting it (no more than half a page). This part must be written in English and is the part your entry will be judged on.

Other Tongue entries must be an original poem written in a language that is not the first language spoken by the person writing it. Entries are welcomed in French, Spanish, German or Italian.

The competition is open to all students in KS3, KS4 & KS5

There will be one Winner from each of the three key stages. Each of those winners will receive a Winner Certificate and an Amazon Voucher to the value of £25.

In light of the current Coronavirus situation, we have made some important changes to the format of the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition.

  • Please submit entries via email. Please email entries to routes@aston.ac.uk 
  • Each entry must have a cover sheet.
  • Please send the coversheet and entry together as one document.
  • Please only include one entry per document (For example, if you are submitting 6 entries there should be 6 documents attached).
  • Entries must be sent from the teacher (entries sent from pupils will not be accepted).
  • All entries must be sent together in one email.

The deadline for entries to be received by us is Wednesday 26 May 2021. Please note that we cannot extend this deadline for individual schools so any entries received after that date will not be counted.

N.B. In the event of insufficient entries of good quality for a Key Stage, no prize will be awarded; the Judges’ decision is final.

French and Mandarin Language Event for Year 12 and 13 Students

Date: 
Wednesday, 24 February, 2021 - 13:00 to 14:30
Event Type: 
Seminar/Lecture
Region: 
West Midlands
Location: 
Online Event

Routes into Languages West Midlands, with our colleagues from Aston University, will be holding a joint badged online event for year 13 and year 12 students on Wednesday 24 February from 1pm to 2.30pm.

The event is open students in year 13 students who are still undecided about whether they want to take languages at University and for those year 12 students starting to look at the idea for autumn 2022.

Please note that DBS checked staff will NOT be in attendance at this event.

To book places for your students please email Claire Richards at routes@aston.ac.uk - these are limited so early sign up is recommended to secure places.

Deadline for sign up is Wednesday 10 February at the latest. 

Please see attached draft program for your information.

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