The School of Modern Languages and Cultures is committed to promoting the study of languages in schools to students from all backgrounds, raising aspirations, and broadening access to Higher Education.

Our widening participation programme is progressive and sustained, giving budding linguists from local schools the opportunity to come to campus and engage with us at three crucial moments in their education: years 8, 10, and 12. We aim to get students from backgrounds under-represented in Higher Education thinking about applying to university. To see if a school or an individual qualfiies for our widening particpation programmes, and to find out more about what is on offer at the university, see here.

[Outreach and Impact]

Studying languages at university

Testimonials from some of our current students coming soon!

The year abroad

Our undergraduate degrees are four years long and one of these years is spent abroad. You can find lots of information about the year abroad and read more about our students' experiences here [INSERT LINK}.

Adopt a class

Adopt a Class is a scheme that has run for a number of years linking classes of pupils in primary and secondary schools with university students whilst they are on their year abroad via electronic media such as blogs, skype and emails. It also offers the possibility of creative collaboration between schools and students, leading to the co-creation of bespoke resources for particular classes within a school. The aim of Adopt a Class is to highlight the opportunities that are available for study and work abroad and to increase pupils’ exposure to the joys and challenges of language learning experienced ‘live’ in the host country.

The project has been developed in response to a marked decrease in the number of school trips and exchanges abroad, as well as the decrease in the number of Foreign Language Assistants coming to the UK. We feel school pupils are missing out on some of the key benefits language skills can bring – travelling and meeting people from other countries.

The project here at Warwick has benefited from the involvement of the Warwick Centre for Teacher Education (CTE), and communication between our students and MFL PGCE students is envisaged in the course of the academic year. We are always seeking to enhance our links with local schools and those schools with whom our students have contacts.

For teachers

In 2019 we will be running an event for langauge teachers designed to help support the teaching of texts at A-Level. The event will feature a short session on widening participation. [Upload any resources here.]

Past events

Glastonbury Goes Global, 27 November 2018: students in year 8 from several local schools came to campus to design their own music festival in France, Germany, Italy, or Spain. See below for some photos from the day showing the students with their work:

North Birmingham Academy

Stoke Park School

  Starbank School

 The Phoenix Collegiate

 Starbank School

Get in touch

To know more about our events please contact Holly Langstaff: h.langstaff.1@warwick.ac.uk.