.jpg)
The Ashcombe School scoops major languages awards at a national languages event
Thirteen UK projects were given a European Award for Languages on the European Day of Languages (26 September), and winners received their award from the Centre for Information on Language Teaching patron Sir Trevor McDonald at a prize-giving ceremony held at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The European Award for Languages boosts the promotion of languages capability in the UK.
The winning projects, which covered over 30 languages, were all characterised by strong partnerships bringing languages into new areas of activity. This year’s European Award for Languages winners, selected on the criteria of excellence, innovation and the ability to serve as a model for others, have joined forces with employers, international partners and training professionals to organise projects.
The Ashcombe’s International Business Week was judged to be the top project winning £1,000 from leading car manufacturer BMW Group for the most impressive business language project. The new sponsorship agreement with the National Centre for Languages comes as a recent report illustrates the UK’s poor performance in non-English speaking markets.
Each year one of the winning projects is also selected by the Mary Glasgow Language Trust to receive its annual award of £1,000 – the winner of which was announced at the Award ceremony.
Mary Glasgow founded the Mary Glasgow Language Trust after a lifetime in languages, as a teacher, HM Inspector of Schools and later as a publisher, and the work of the Trust continues in her memory.
“To win the Mary Glasgow prize was really the icing on the cake,” said Deputy Headteacher Peter Thompson who received the awards on behalf of the school with Year 11 pupils Emma Martin, Tom Lloyd, Russell Jones and Rachel Barker.
Read the CiLT press release
See a photomontage of the award-winning Business Studies Week in progress.
See links to the websites used as resources for the week.