ISMLA News

Thursday, 26thNovember at 6 p.m. Would you like your students to look forward to your lessons and engage fully with Spanish? This webinar is aimed at teachers of Spanish who are interested in using Hispanic songs to enrich teaching and learning across KS3, KS4 and KS5. The session will explore how music can be used…

We include here a summary of the ALL GCSE results statement which may be of interest to members.

A call to action! The teaching of Mandarin in the UK is under threat. Severe grading is having a significant impact on uptake of the subject at GCSE and A level.Mandarin is a very challenging language to learn, and to deliver effective teaching in tight curriculum time in UK schools is even more so. To…

The recent confirmation that the UK will formally rejoin the Erasmus+ programme from 2027 represents a highly significant development for schools wishing to revive or expand international exchanges. The agreement between the UK and the EU, finalised in April 2026, is expected to reopen funding streams for school partnerships, group mobility projects, staff training and…

It was a pleasure to meet some of you at the ISMLA Conference at MSG last February. To continue building our professional network, I would like to invite you to an informal online meeting to share and discuss teaching and learning experiences from this academic year. This French Teachers’ Teach Meet will provide an opportunity…

ISMLA has sent its response to the latest consultation regarding KS4 performance measures. This does not directly affect the independent sector but ISMLA. nevertheless considers it essential to respond as a key stakeholder concerned with the health and future of modern language teaching in the UK. Click here to read ISMLA’s response.

ISMLA German Teachers’ Team-Meet – Friday 19 June 2026 16:15 – 17:30 Message from our German Representative, Roderick Duke It was great to meet a good number of you at MGS, and I am eager to create a more active network for German teachers in the independent sector. To this end we have organised a…

ISMLA Annual Conference 2026: Quo Vadis? Saturday 7 February 2026 | Manchester Grammar School ISMLA’s 2026 Annual Conference brought together colleagues from across the independent sector for a day of reflection, challenge and professional exchange under the theme Quo Vadis? — an invitation to consider the future direction of modern languages education and the role…

We are currently seeking to fill the following important post: Social Media Secretary Please follow the links to find out more.

With new GCSEs in French, Spanish and German being examined for the first time in June 2026, language teachers face a challenge in knowing how to use mock papers etc to produce “predicted” grades, as grade boundaries are likely to be misleading in light of the significant changes.  Schools are advised to be cautious if…

Booking is now open for the Italian Teachers Day supported by ISMLA. On Saturday 7th March 2026 the 6th Italian Teachers Day, once again kindly hosted by Francis Holland School in London and with the invaluable support of ISMLA and others.Above all this is a wonderful opportunity for teachers of Italian in schools to meet each other…

ISMLA Response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the Government’s Response ISMLA has today issued its response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review and the Government’s Response.

ISMLA endorses London: City of Languages The Independent Schools’ Modern Languages Association (ISMLA) is delighted to endorse London: City of Languages – an inspiring initiative that celebrates the extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity of our capital. ISMLA schools are passionate advocates for modern languages as a means of deepening understanding between people and cultures. We…

ISMLA Response to Recent National Reports on Language Education

Italian Teachers Day 2026 The next Italian Teachers Day, supported by ISMLA, will take place on Saturday 7th March 2026 at Francis Holland School, Regents Park in London. More details to follow, but it is likely to follow the Teachmeet model used at the last ISMLA annual conference. If interested in taking part or contributing,…

NEW CHAIR OF ISMLA A warm welcome to Adèle Venter, who has succeeded Oliver Hopwood as Chair of ISMLA. Adèle steps up from having been in charge of exhibitions and played a key role in organising our conferences, most recently the last two years’ successful conferences at North London Collegiate School, where she is Head…

We are pleased to announce that ISMLA and Francophonia have extended their agreement for a further five years, part of which is the generous offer of free places on their summer courses in Nice for teachers of French. The course is free, but members will need to pay their travel, board and lodging. For details…

We encourage all member schools to complete the annual Language Trends survey as soon as possible – the deadline is this coming Friday 28th February. Click this link to complete the survey. The more responses are received, the more influential the survey’s findings can be.

Mr Charles Fillingham, Executive Headmaster, would like to invite you and your GCSE and sixth form students to Solihull School’s first National Festival of Languages, which will take place at our Warwick Road, Solihull campus on Saturday 22nd March 2025, and is hosted in partnership with Norwich School and Cheadle Hulme School. The festival promises to be a celebration…

www.thelanguagesgateway.uk The Languages Gateway is the UK’s new portal for languages. It is a gateway to opportunities, resources and information about languages, and how they link to an understanding and appreciation of cultures and societies. We know that this information is of interest to a wide range of stakeholders. The Gateway is a key element…