Newcastle City of Languages was the first city-wide initiative in the UK focusing on improving language learning, take up and teaching. We work with a wide range of partners to deliver Newcastle City of Languages and Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages, which we host and co-ordinate.
Read our brochure and case studies on our approach, progress and impact and the benefits of internationalism: Empowering Newcastle’s Youth for a Global Future.
We have shared our approach nationally, as well as supporting other cities and areas to develop their own initiatives, adapted to their local needs.
Newcastle City of Languages is one of three interconnected workstrands under Our Newcastle Our World partnership framework. This aims to support Newcastle as a multicultural, inclusive and globally connected city.
Find out about our work on languages below and about our other workstrands which help deliver this ambition at these links:
The importance and benefits of language learning
There are a wide range of benefits of learning a language at any level. These include a propensity to increase attainment across all subjects, widening perspectives and new ways of thinking, increasing your understanding of other cultures and boosting interpersonal, communications and employability skills. All of which broaden your opportunities for travel, employment and careers.
Our city’s ambitions for languages
In addition to the ambitions reflected in the Our Newcastle Our World framework, wider consultation on languages with stakeholders including children and young people, teachers, university and other professionals, led to a range of ambitions, specific to language learning, which inform our activities.
This included promoting positive messages about the benefits of language learning and boosting take up and including culture and creativity as part of making languages fun and accessible. Providing access to information, training and resources was key, as well as linking in with businesses and developing sustainable international links through virtual working. Celebrating diversity was also important and valuing our diverse language and cultural communities in Newcastle.
Our support for languages in Newcastle schools
Teachers, schools and children and young people are the main focus of our support for language teaching and learning. We believe this is where we add value by being a broker and facilitator and can have the greatest impact on skills development, boosting aspirations and widening access to opportunities to improve future life, education and career choices. We have a broad range of activities, from running special sessions on languages, introducing or brokering links to CPD for teachers and levering teaching and learning resources.
With the City Council’s School Effectiveness Team, we continue to support any Newcastle school interested in developing their approach to languages. Click here for our guide.
Click here for our brochure: Empowering Newcastle’s Youth for a Global Future, which has details of the progress, impact and future goals of our support for schools, as well as 5 local schools’ international case studies.
Contact sarah.edgar@newcastle.gov.uk in the first instance, if you are a Newcastle school and want to get involved in our work on languages.
Follow us online to find out the latest activities and opportunities for languages in schools and communities: X (twitter), facebook, linked in or check our news page.
Progress on languages in Newcastle
Since we launched Newcastle City of Languages in January 2020, we have made a lot of progress in supporting language teachers, promoting language learning, as well as supporting home languages. We achieve this by brokering support to training and resources, connecting with and sharing local, regional and national language initiatives and being a catalyst for ambitious developments, such as Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages.
Our regional Festival of Languages
Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages has become a popular annual event since 2021. It opens up opportunities for children and young people, schools and communities to have fun, try new things and be inspired to learn more about diverse languages and cultures. International Newcastle hosts and co-ordinates the Festival, working with partners locally, regionally and nationally to provide free events and activities.
Participation of schools and children and young people has increased each year. Our 2023 event was very successful, with over 21,500 children and young people involved. The 2024 Festival ran January-March and has been our biggest yet with over 37,000 children and young people participating from 354 schools:
Festival 2024 figures
Our languages partners
Newcastle City of Languages and our work supporting language teaching and learning is supported by many partners, who we are grateful to work with. They provide advice and expertise, resources and training, as well as activities which Newcastle schools and teachers can engage with.
We convene an expert working group to support sharing of resources and the development of activities to help achieve our ambitions:
- British Council and its regional ambassadors
- Association for Language Learning and ALL North East
- Newcastle City Council (Education)
- Durham County Council (International)
- Newcastle University (Language Resource Centre)
- Newcastle University School of Modern Languages
- Northumbria Language Centre Northumbria University
- Alliance française de Newcastle
- The Language Centre
- North East Solidarity and Teaching (N.E.S.T)
- Becoming Visible (Deaf led training organisation)
- INTO Newcastle
- NE England Chamber of Commerce
- North East Local Enterprise Partnership
We also work closely with national cultural institutions promoting international languages and cultures to take forward actions:
Language resources for schools, the public and business
Check our resources pages for links to resources for schools, English as an Additional Language (adults), wider language learning for the public and businesses.
Follow us online to find out the latest updates on activities and opportunities supporting languages in schools and communities:
- follow us on X (twitter) @InterNewcastle
- join us on facebook IntNewcastle
- connect with us on linked in /international-newcastle
- check our news page for new developments
Our future goals for languages
Since launching Newcastle City of Languages in January 2020, we have made significant progress supporting language teaching skills, brokering resources and activities for schools and communities and engaging children and young people in language activities. We also introduced the regional Festival of Languages, which has helped profile the importance of language learning as well as providing free, fun activities around diverse languages and cultures in the region. We have set ourselves new goals from 2023:
