Languages, Society and Policy
lspjournal.bsky.social
Languages, Society and Policy
@lspjournal.bsky.social
LSP publishes high-quality peer-reviewed language research in accessible and non-technical language to promote policy engagement.
Reposted by Languages, Society and Policy
As LSP Co-Editors, @emhumps.bsky.social and I want to thank you all for reading and engaging with this Special Collection. Catch up with all the pieces here: www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...
Languages in UK Education: introduction
Wendy Ayres-Bennett and Charles Forsdick | 26th November 2024 | Policy Collection Introduction: statutory contexts across the UKThe substantial differences between England and the three devolved admin...
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July 9, 2025 at 2:50 PM
This upcoming event might be of interest to colleagues working on hate speech and AI research.
What happens when AI fails to see hate? Join us at Trinity College, Cambridge on 6 November to find out. Register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/critical-f...
October 22, 2025 at 8:26 AM
✨ The Languages in UK Education special issue is now complete! Many thanks to our guest editors @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social for compiling this important collection, and to every contributor for sharing bold ideas to shape language education policy.
🔗 www.lspjournal.com
LANGUAGES, SOCIETY AND POLICY - HOME | LSP
Languages, Society and Policy
www.lspjournal.com
July 9, 2025 at 8:14 AM
How can we turn the UK’s 'cold spots' for language learning into 'hot spots?' 🔥📚
J. Biddle & J. Andrews highlight practical grassroots projects across the UK that show what works: @wendya-b.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social www.lspjournal.com/post/how-can...
How can we move from cold spots to hot spots? Learning from current practices which nurture languages education in the four nations of the United Kingdom
Jo Biddle and Jane Andrews | 9th July 2025 | Opinion PieceIn this opinion piece, Jo Biddle and Jane Andrews consider a small set of examples of close-to-practice research from the four nations of the ...
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July 9, 2025 at 7:59 AM
What does it really mean to think like a linguist?
Charlotte Ryland argues it's time to move beyond grammar drills and embrace creativity, culture, and collaboration in language education. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/think-l...
✍️ Collection Edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social
Think Like a Linguist: Community and collaboration for a new languages curriculum
In this article, Charlotte Ryland reflects on how the learning from creative translation and languages advocacy projects can feed into languages curriculum reform. By focusing in particular on the lin...
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June 25, 2025 at 10:53 AM
💬 What if stories—not grammar drills—were the key to unlocking language learning?
Jonathan McBride explores how storytelling can transform language lessons, boost motivation, & help every learner succeed. 📚✨ @wendya-b.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social

Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/the-pow...
The Power of Stories in the Languages Classroom
Jonathan McBride | 11th June 2025 | Opinion Piece In this article, Edinburgh-based languages teacher Jonathan McBride argues that stories have the potential to transform modern languages teaching at a...
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June 11, 2025 at 10:27 AM
❓Why do so many pupils 'start over' with languages when they reach secondary school?

✏️ In this opinion article, Rowena Kasprowicz calls for practical steps to fix the transition gap—and take primary language learning seriously.

🧵 Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/bridgin...
Bridging the Key Stage 2/3 transition gap: Taking primary languages seriously
Rowena Kasprowicz | 4th June 2025 | Opinion ArticlesIn the following opinion article, Rowena Kasprowicz explores emerging research evidence demonstrating that, with the right conditions, linguistic pr...
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June 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
🗣️ Why are fewer students in Scotland choosing languages—even with strong government backing?

@fionabarclay.bsky.social explores how a lack of “language capital” shapes public perceptions, gendered choices, & declining uptake—and proposes 3 steps for change.

🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...
‘Language capital’: reframing formal language-learning in Scotland.
Fiona Barclay | 3rd June 2025 | Opinion PieceIn this article, Fiona Barclay considers the longstanding deficit in the social value associated with languages. She argues that this deficit has contribut...
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June 4, 2025 at 7:36 AM
💬 What can primary school French and Spanish teachers learn from Irish-Medium classrooms?

Thomas Rogan explores how immersion-style techniques used in Irish-Medium Education could transform modern foreign language teaching in mainstream primary schools.

📖: www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...
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May 29, 2025 at 11:54 AM
❓What if every child in Northern Ireland had the chance to learn another language in primary school?

Sharon Jones explores how language education can boost wellbeing, creativity, and connection in a post-conflict society—and why it's time to make it a priority. www.lspjournal.com/post/towards...
Towards Language Education Excellence in Northern Ireland’s Primary Schools
Sharon Jones | 28th May 2025 | Opinion PieceIn this opinion piece, Sharon Jones, drawing on her teaching and research in languages and education, reflects on the potential of broadening access to the ...
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May 29, 2025 at 5:40 AM
🌍 What happens when international exchanges vanish from schools and universities?

Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch argue for restoring international experiences to the heart of language learning—for all learners, not just a privileged few. www.lspjournal.com/post/interna...
International experiences for all
Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch | 21st May 2025 | Opinion Piece In this article, Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch, drawing on their professional engagements with key stakeholders, argue that th...
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May 21, 2025 at 12:00 PM
📚 What if a bilingual nation like Wales rewrote its curriculum to rethink language education?
💬 Can International Languages thrive in a learner-led system?
Read the piece by @clairegorrara.bsky.social & Lucy Jenkins, part of our Languages in UK Education series: www.lspjournal.com/post/new-cur...
New Curriculum, New Languages Education? How International Languages Education is Changing in Wales
In the following opinion article, Claire Gorrara and Lucy Jenkins explore how the Curriculum for Wales represents a radical shift in language education, embedding International Languages into the core...
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May 15, 2025 at 1:06 PM
🧠💬 What if primary language lessons weren’t just about grammar—but also about empathy, creativity, and global awareness?

In a new Languages in UK Education piece, @suzannegraham.bsky.social and Alison Porter rethink the purpose of early language learning.📖 : www.lspjournal.com/post/rethink...
Rethinking the Purpose of Language Education
Suzanne Graham and Alison Porter | 14th May 2025 | Opinion PieceIn the following opinion article Suzanne Graham and Alison Porter argue that primary language education needs a more meaningful and cohe...
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May 13, 2025 at 10:25 AM
✊🏾 New in our Languages in UK Education series: Lisa Panford explores how England’s language teacher shortages are being filled by educators from the Global South—without adequate anti-racist support.

We need ethical recruitment and retention.

Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/the-rec...
The Recruitment and Retention of Languages Teachers of Colour from the Global South in England
In the following opinion article Lisa Panford finds that urgent intervention is needed to address the conditions into which languages teachers of Colour from the Global South are inducted. Further, th...
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May 7, 2025 at 1:55 PM
📘 New from Languages in UK Education series 👇
Can students keep learning languages after GCSE—without a full A-level?
Neil Kenny proposes a practical, flexible Level 3 ‘Applied Languages’ certificate.
Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/time-fo...
May 7, 2025 at 10:48 AM
🎉 We’re delighted to present our new LSP series: Languages in UK Education, guest-edited by @cforsdick.bsky.social and Wendy Ayres-Bennett.

The series explores how the UK can better support linguistic diversity and respond to the languages crisis. 🌍📘

📖 Read more: lspjournal.com
May 6, 2025 at 12:43 PM