Calling MFL, EAL and English teachers! Bring creative translation into the classroom this summer with the Stephen Spender Prize 2025!
The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual competition for poetry in translation that celebrates the creativity of young people across the UK and Ireland – and their teachers! The Prize has categories schools, teachers and individual young people, which welcome translations from all languages, as well as a special ‘Spotlight‘ strand that each year focuses on a different widely spoken home or heritage language.
Open for entries 1 May to 31 July | Free entry for all young people and teachers in the UK and Ireland!
Whether you’re an MLF, EAL or English teacher, and whatever the languages taught and spoken in your school community, the prize is a perfect way to engage students of all ages this summer term.
Teachers can register here to receive classroom inspiration and activity ideas throughout the prize window, and you can follow all the latest news on our website and social media channels below.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at prize@stephen-spender.org. We hope that many of you and your students will get involved this year!
St Hilda’s College is embarking on a webinar series for state school students that will look in detail at the Oxford admissions process and is aimed at students at different stages in their applications.
People punting on the River Cherwell, St Hilda’s College
Whilst information about the University of Oxford will be given, please note that the first and last talks will also focus on university in general and how to make informed decisions about the future.
The series involves a number of different online sessions, as follows:
Wednesday 18th June (16:00-16:45)- ‘How to choose a course and a university’
Thursday 19th June (19:00-20:00)- ‘An overview of the Oxford admissions process (for teachers)’
Wednesday 9th July 2025 (16:00-16:45)- ‘An overview of the Oxford admissions process (for students)’
Wednesday 16th July (16:00-16:45)- UCAS personal statement
These are all aimed at state school students (Years 10-13) and/or teachers, depending on the talk.
GCHQ are excited to invite teachers and their Year 8 & 9 students to participate in their upcoming GCHQ Language Outreach virtual sessions!
Our program aims to inspire and encourage students to explore new languages or advance their existing skills.
Session Overview:
Introduction to work at GCHQ
Discover the mission behind GCHQ and how languages play a significant part in our work.
Taster sessions
Engage in interactive sessions for Spanish, German and French, designed to provide students with a glimpse into each language and its culture.
We believe that exposing students to different languages can spark interest and motivate them to pursue language studies further. Please follow the guidance below if you feel this maybe of benefit to you and your students.
We understand that some school computer network policies may not allow access to hyperlinks so if you do encounter any issues, or would rather reply directly, please feel free to email Gordon54585@gchq.gov.uk with your attendance confirmation, choice of date and language. The slide above provides a brief breakdown of the session but we are happy to respond to any questions you may have or give more details.
Virtual session dates & times:
Friday 6th June 2025, 11.30-12.30: French, Spanish, German
Wednesday 25th June 2025, 10.30-11.30: French, Spanish, German
Tuesday 15th July 2025, 13.30-14.30: French, Spanish, German
Keble College is running online sessions to provide information and guidance on aspects of the Oxford admissions process during the summer term. These offer opportunities to receive up-to-date advice and guidance on applying to Oxford, and have questions answered by University staff. All sessions are open to Year 12 (or equivalent) currently attending a UK state school or college, and/or those supporting a prospective student in this category.
Keble College and the Beecroft Building from University Parks
Please see the tables below for this year’s webinar schedule for prospective students and those supporting them.
Admissions Webinar Schedule: Summer 2025
Webinars for prospective students Please note: sessions with the same title are duplicates
Exclusively for state schoolteachers and colleagues with responsibility for progression, join Trinity College for its programme which aims to provide up-to-date practical information and guidance relating to the Oxford application process and the purpose of each stage, for example, the admissions tests and interviews.
Trinity also has the broader aim of providing teachers and colleagues with guidance that will help them to support their pupils in allhigher education applications, as well as those who may have the potential to apply to Oxford.
They particularly welcome colleagues from non-selective state schools who have little or no experience of the University of Oxford, pupil progression to the Russell Group or Higher Education in general.
The programme takes place online and is made up of six 1.5hr live sessions each taking place after the school day. Whilst the programme begins in January each year, teachers are encouraged to join at any point or just for those sessions they would find most helpful. As part of this programme, a free Teacher Enrichment Residential (details below) is offered, which is also completely optional.
A completion certificate is offered for those attending all six online sessions, however there is no requirement to do so. Colleagues are welcome to register and then join for just the preferred sessions.
Teacher CPD programme of sessions in 2025:
Session
Title
Date
S1
Introduction to Oxford
Monday 13th January 16:15 or Thursday 16th January 17:00
S2
Enrichment and raising attainment
Monday 3rd February 16:15 or Thursday 6th February 17:00
S3
Personal Statements
Monday 31st March 16:15 or Thursday 3rd April at 17:00
S4
Oxford Admissions Tests
Monday 12th May 16:15 or Thursday 15th May 17:00
S5
Teacher Reference Writing
Monday 9th June 16:15 or Thursday 12th June 17:00
S6
Oxford Academic Interviews
Monday 16th June 16:15 or Thursday 16th October 16:15
Residential
Teacher enrichment: fully funded 3-night residential for colleagues to explore any particular topic of personal interest in their subject area or some aspect of their teaching practice or pedagogy, using the University of Oxford’s library collections.
Easter Vacation 2026 date TBC
SIGN UP HEREand the team at Trinity will be in touch closer to January 13th with joining details.
If you have already taken part in this programme, you are very welcome to sign up for refresher support.
Please could you also share this email with other school colleagues who may like to take part and, of course, do not hesitate to get in touch with the Hannah Rolley (Head of Access, Trinity College) hannah.rolley@trinity.ox.ac.uk should you have any questions.
MFL Teachers – there’s still time to sign up for our Language Teachers’ Conference!
This year’s Conference will be held at Somerville College, Oxford on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th September and will welcome teachers from across the country for an exciting couple of days involving roundtable discussions, learning on all sides, and networking opportunities!
Since our last post about the Conference, we have been liaising with speakers from within and outside of the University and firming up the event programme, the updated version of which can be found here.
We are delighted to welcome recent French & Russian graduate, Lizzie Peck, who will be joining us as our keynote speaker to talk about her experiences of studying languages at Oxford and how language learning has shaped her personal and professional life so far.
Likewise, we look forward to an exciting taster lecture from Prof. Carolin Duttlinger, Professor of German Literature and Culture at Wadham College, about a new AHRC Research Project exploring Franz Kafka’s engagement with communities, and to hearing from a range of wonderful speakers from the Faculty across the two-day event.
Keynote speaker, Lindsay Johns, talking about his experience of language learning at Oxford and beyond at the 2023 Conference.
You can book your place until Friday 13th September via our online booking system here. Please note that we can also take bookings by invoice if required by schools – do get in touch with Nicola at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk and we can process the booking manually.
Please don’t hesitate to email with any questions. We look forward to meeting you at the end of the month!
We are delighted to share details about this year’s Language Teachers’ Conference which will take place on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 September 2024 at Somerville College, Oxford.
Our annual conference has developed out of the Sir Robert Taylor Society (named after the founder of the Faculty’s Languages Library), a network of teachers of Modern Foreign Languages in secondary schools, academics from the Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at the University of Oxford, and others interested in MFL.
This conference is now a core aspect of the Faculty’s Schools Liaison work, and provides a unique forum for interaction and exchange between the University and teachers. It offers teachers the chance to spend a night in an Oxford college, to attend various taster lectures and discussions, and to ask our academics and admissions tutors questions about our courses, research, and supporting students’ applications to Oxford.
Photo from the roundtable discussion at our 2023 Language Teachers’ Conference
2024 Programme
We are pleased to be holding the conference at Somerville College once again after a couple of wonderful years at St Anne’s. Somerville was established in 1879 as a hall for women, who were barred from the university at the time, and throughout its history it has remained committed to equality. Today, Somerville marries beautiful architecture with a proud emphasis on inclusivity and diversity.
The full provisional event programme can be found here and more information about the conference is available here.
A particular highlight of this year’s programme is scheduled for Saturday morning when delegates will experience an example of the creative translation workshops offered to schools by The Queen’s College Translation Exchange. The workshops are designed to make translation accessible and creative for school pupils by using the Stephen Spender Trust’s ‘Decode – Translate – Create’ method.
Dr Charlotte Ryland talking about the language outreach and advocacy work carried out by The Queen’s Translation Exchange and the Stephen Spender Trust at the 2023 Language Teachers’ Conference.
Delegate rates and booking
Below are the various rates and ticket options available for both state and independent school teachers.
State school rate
Independent school rate
Full conference, including accommodation and breakfast
£150
£300
Full conference, excluding accommodation
£100
£200
Friday only
£50
£100
Saturday only
£50
£100
Please visit our online bookings webpage to secure your place. You will need to create an account (or log in if you’ve used our website before) and select the right rate for your school type and length of attendance. Bookings will close on 13th September.
On Friday 29th September, the MML Schools Liaison team welcomed 53 MFL teachers from across the independent (33) and state (20) sectors to St Anne’s College for the Faculty’s annual two-day Language Teachers’ Conference. Although numbers were slightly lower than last year, our geographical reach was just as wide, with teachers joining us from all the way from Maidstone to Belfast! The event was also just as lively thanks to a newly re-jigged conference programme and some very enthusiastic delegates, who included academics and staff from across the Faculty.
Building Bridges Roundtable: Schools and Universities Working Together
After a welcome lunch, the main event kicked off with an impassioned and wide-ranging round-table discussion about the challenges and opportunities that currently exist in the world of language learning and teaching. This set the scene well, allowing us to focus the rest of the afternoon on the more positive developments and accounts surrounding language study at Oxford. Through various sessions, we highlighted the success of our beginners’ languages courses, heard from Lindsay Johns – successful writer and broadcaster – about how his French and Italian degree at Oxford had bolstered his personal and professional life, and indulged in a taster lecture on Spanish Golden Age theatre from Prof. Jonathan Thacker, Chair of the Faculty. This was all followed by a drinks reception and formal dinner, offering delegates the chance to network informally and socialise together.
Keynote speaker, writer and broadcaster Lindsay Johns, discussing his experiences of studying Modern Languages at Oxford and how his degree and language learning have shaped his personal and professional life.
Saturday’s programme focused on the practical with our annual A-level Literature Circus and Admissions sessions, both designed to support MFL teaching practices and enhance teachers’ specialist knowledge. The former invites academics in French, German, and Spanish to discuss the ways in which an area of language teaching can be used as a starting point for literary analysis in a selection of texts on the A Level syllabus. The latter provides an introduction to the Oxford application process as well as a mock interview with a current undergraduate.
A mock interview between Prof. Helen Swift and current French & Linguistics student, Amelie, for our Admissions 101 session.
Led by Dr Charlotte Ryland, our closing session “In the spotlight: Oxford outreach for Key Stage 3 learners” provided an insight into outreach projects occurring across the university which are supporting KS3 MFL pupils.
The conference closed, very appropriately, with a presentation from Dr Charlotte Ryland which highlighted the exciting MFL outreach work that is currently occurring across Oxford for Key Stage 3 language learners; from the Queen’s Translation Exchange, to the Oxford German Network, to our very own schools liaison work here in the Faculty.
The feedback we have received about the conference organisation and content has been overwhelmingly positive. So far, 100% of respondents to our feedback form would recommend the conference to a colleague. One teacher from a non-selective state school in Hounslow commented:
I really enjoyed the conference – the programme was excellent and will provide invaluable material and ideas for lesson planning and promoting languages at school.
We are looking forward to acquiring more feedback over the coming weeks and collating any suggestions for next year’s event.
If you’re an MFL teacher who would be interested in attending next year’s conference, please send Nicola an email at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk to be added to our mailing list.
MFL Teachers – there’s still time to sign up for our Language Teachers’ Conference!
This year’s Conference will be held at St Anne’s College, Oxford on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th September and will welcome teachers from across the country for an exciting couple of days involving roundtable discussions, learning on all sides, and networking opportunities!
Since our last post about the Conference, we have been liaising with speakers from within and outside of the University and firming up the event programme, the updated version of which can be found here.
We are delighted to welcome Lindsay Johns, writer and broadcaster (and Oxford MML alumnus), who will be joining us as our keynote speaker to talk about his experiences of studying languages at Oxford and how language learning has shaped his personal and professional life. Likewise, we look forward to an exciting taster lecture from Prof. Jonathan Thacker, King Alfonso XIII Professor of Spanish Studies, as well as hearing from a range of wonderful academics from the Faculty across the two-day event.
Online bookings are still open until Wednesday 13th September, and can be found here.
Photo taken at last year’s Conference, during our fascinating keynote speech from Major-General John Moore-Bick
Please don’t hesitate to contact Nicola at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk with any questions. We look forward to meeting you at the end of the month!
We’re delighted to announce that the 2023 Oxford Language Teachers’ Conference will be held on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 September at St Anne’s College. We very much look forward to once again welcoming teachers to Oxford!
2023 Programme
We are pleased to be holding the conference at St Anne’s College once again this year. St Anne’s was established in 1879 as a hall for women, who were barred from the university at the time, and throughout its history has retained its original aim of allowing students of any financial background to study at Oxford. Today, St Anne’s marries modern architecture with a proud emphasis on inclusivity and academic excellence.
This year, we have altered the programme slightly in order to focus in on the ever-growing issues facing the teaching and learning of languages, and to dedicate more time to the ways in which we might overcome these challenges. For instance, after a welcome lunch on the Friday afternoon, we will hold our annual ‘Building Bridges’ session which involves a roundtable discussion with a panel of academics, students and teachers, as well as contributions from the floor. This will focus on a slate of issues of current interest and concern within language learning from Key Stage 3 to degree level. We would be delighted to hear your views on this topic and look forward to bettering our understanding of collaborative approaches to improving language learning at all stages.
Other highlights of this year’s programme include spotlights on the increasing accessibility of beginners’ languages degrees at university, the wonderful and varied career opportunities experienced by languages graduates, and the exciting new and existing languages-focused outreach projects currently occurring across Oxford. We will also be treated to a taster lecture from an academic in the Faculty – a hard act to follow after Prof. Helen Swift’s entertaining lecture on Medieval French last year – before we enjoy a drinks reception and sit down for dinner. This will all be followed by a chance to socialise and network with fellow MFL Teachers and colleagues from the Faculty in the College bar!
Please find the various conference rates in the table below.
State school rate
Independent school rate
Full conference, including accommodation and breakfast
£180
£280
Full conference, excluding accommodation
£110
£200
Friday only
£80
£120
Saturday only
£50
£90
Please visit our online booking webpage to book your place. You will need to create an account (or log in if you’ve used our website before) and select the right rate for your school type and length of attendance. Please note that bookings will close on Wednesday 13th September.
If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact Nicola at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.
A blog for students and teachers of Years 11 to 13, and anyone else with an interest in Modern Foreign Languages and Cultures, written by the staff and students of Oxford University. Updated every Wednesday!
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