Newcastle City of Languages is one of three interconnected workstrands under Our Newcastle Our World partnership framework, alongside Connecting Internationally and Internationalism in the City.
Our approach aims to support Newcastle’s ambition as a multicultural, inclusive and globally connected city. Read our brochure on our approach, progress and impact and the benefits of internationalism: Empowering Newcastle’s Youth for a Global Future.
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 brochure: Empowering Newcastle’s Youth for a Global Future, which has details of the progress, impact and future goals of our support for schools.
Opportunities are shared via:
- Newcastle’s Services for Schools website
- online padlets for Primary language teachers, Secondary language teachers, International links, English as an Additional Language and Schools of Sanctuary
- Council’s enewsletter to Head Teachers
- direct contact with the city’s schools
- International Newcastle’s website and social media channels
- Events, workshops and briefings online and in person
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. You can read about the Evolution of Newcastle City of Languages here.
We achieve progress 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.
Languages and Careers
We worked with the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, Newcastle City Council (School Effectiveness) and Association for Language Learning to develop a series of short videos, teaching resources and classroom activities for North East schools.
These were produced to inspire pupils (Key Stages 2-5, ages 7-18) to progress with languages and understand the wealth of opportunities available to people who speak more than one language.
The videos, showcase young professionals who live in the North East. They talk about their own language learning journey, the languages they speak, the skills that learning languages can bring and how they use languages in their work – as well as giving tips about learning languages.
Our regional Festival of Languages
Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages has become a popular annual event since 2021, celebrating diverse languages and cultures and our connections to the world. 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.
Designed to spark curiosity and creativity and inspire young minds, our sixth annual Festival offered a wide range of FREE events, activities and resources for children and young people in schools, community schools and groups.
2026 was our biggest Festival yet in terms of both content and participation
- 116,669 children and young people participated, with 1,071 registrations for activities from 464 schools
- Schools were involved from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority area (Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland, and Durham), Tees Valley Combined Authority Area (Darlington, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool), as well as from schools nationwide and 12 countries worldwide.
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