National Consortium for Languages Education
UCL Institute of Education
National Priority Projects
NCLE is coordinating 14 National Priority Projects (NPPs) across the country. Each NPP is led by a Language Network and delivered on the ground in their region.
The NPPs are designed to drive change through research-informed action in classrooms, addressing DfE national priorities and schools’ local/regional needs. They will enhance the quality of languages teaching and learning – enabled by NCLE experts and leveraging UCL Institute of Education’s world-leading research base.
Findings and outputs from the NPPs will feed back into new content exclusively available on the LEO platform.
Explore the National Priority Projects here:
Click on a topic below to find out more about the NCLE Language Network projects addressing each of these national priorities.
1. Languages leadership
Project title: A scalable framework for leading languages
Led by: West Midlands Regional Language Network
Lead Schools: The Arthur Terry School & Painsley Catholic College
Drawing on existing leadership models, including EEF guidance, and the NPQ frameworks, this NPP will produce a case study exploring the emerging leadership framework for language change, providing tangible step-by-step guides to support middle and senior leaders in other settings with future implementation of similar projects.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
2. Reducing barriers to language learning
Project title: Sing to Speak
Led by: Kinder Language Network (part of the Northwest Regional Language Network)
Lead School: The Blue Coat School
Building on successful pilot studies, this NPP will work with Year 10 classes in two schools to build student confidence and fluency through songs. Combining AI software with specialist teacher knowledge will ensure that the songs created are relevant to the new GCSE content and required skills with a focus on the Speaking exam.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Every learner a language learner
Led by: Wells Language Network
Lead Schools: Dartford Grammar & The Skinners’ Kent Academy
Addressing structural barriers to studying languages, this NPP will ensure all learners — whether SEND, lower ability, heritage speakers, high-attaining — can access meaningful qualifications, and that all language learning, across the curriculum and at home, builds on existing literacy skills and enables lifelong language learning. Skinners Academy will trial and evaluate alternative qualifications in languages in Year 10 and 11. Dartford’s focus will be on building on effective pedagogies of teaching literacy and using trans-languaging to effectively teach multilingual learners.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
3. Motivation and Engagement
Project title: Celebrating multilingualism – Coventry City of Languages
Led by: Swanswell Language Network (part of the West Midlands Regional Language Network)
Lead School: Sidney Stringer Academy
This project will support schools to raise the profile of languages, with a positive impact on pupil attitudes towards the subject, an increase in motivation in classrooms as well as higher GCSE and A-Level uptake.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Celebrating languages – North-West Festival of Languages
Led by: North West Regional Language Network
Lead School: The Blue Coat School
Building on the huge success of Kinder Language Hub’s 2025 motivational careers event (90% of participating students are now considering a language GCSE), the North West Festival of Languages will inform, inspire and guide pupils and language leaders to the opportunities and celebration of all languages in our community.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
4. Curriculum Innovation
Project title: Languages 7 – 14: building foundations, eliminating barriers
Led by: Thames West Language Network
Lead School: Ada Lovelace C of E High School
This NPP seeks to explore and support curriculum design and implementation and in turn support schools to boost pupils’ engagement and uptake of languages. The project will also build Thames West’s work on primary transition by continuing their KS2-3 German pilot project, alongside French and Spanish. The school recognises the importance of strong foundations of language learning in Key Stage 2 and aim to increase teacher confidence by working with around 255 primary schools as well as teachers of Key Stage 3.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Innovate to motivate – Developing the languages curriculum
Led by: Etherow Language Network (part of the Northwest Regional Language Network)
Lead School: Cheadle Hume School
Language teachers, researchers and learners unanimously agree that incorporating target language culture into the curriculum is not only motivating but also provides powerful knowledge which can create lifelong language learners. Yet planning for this can be time consuming. Recognising it is impractical to ask schools to re-write their curriculum, this NPP takes a flexible, non-prescriptive and collaborative approach, focusing on smaller-scale improvements that can initiate discussion around sequencing of language and the inclusion of rich cultural content.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Talking classrooms – Stepping away from the textbook (KS2 to KS5)
Led by: The Lakes Language Network (part of the Northwest Regional Language Network)
Lead School: Keswick School
Building on Keswick’s track record in curriculum innovation in a rural county, this NPP seeks to meet language teachers’ appetite nationally to see motivational target language teaching in action and for continued support and training to develop their own curriculum design and practice without increasing workload.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Modelling motivation – Deep dive into curriculum planning
Led by: Grand Union Language Network (part of the West Midlands Regional Language Network)
Lead School: Tudor Grange Academy
This project intends to define optimal curricular conditions for language learning. It will provide school leaders who are deciding on MFL curriculum models with case studies based on an analysis of factors influencing pupil motivation and uptake, and financial/logistical implications for the school.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
5. Intercultural learning
Project title: Building inclusive communities – Promoting multilingualism
Led by: Adur Language Network
Lead School: Hove Park School
This NPP fosters cross-institutional collaboration, sharing best practices, developing new curricula content that aims to promote and recognise multilingual identities across partnerships and networks at all key stages, while enhancing the uptake, recognition and celebration of home heritage and community languages within the curriculum. Phase one will see us adapting our curriculum to better represent our diverse student population. In phase two we will implement and evaluate a student ambassador programme to inspire younger learners to celebrate multilingualism.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
6. Transition KS2 to KS3
Project title: Languages: Our superpowers
Led by: Trent & Tame Language Network
Lead school: The Arthur Terry School
Building on the successful ‘Linguistic Superhero’ pilot, this NPP applies theoretical frameworks on learner motivation to shape successful cross-phase transition from KS2 to KS3, facilitated by collaboration between teachers. The project intends to provide a motivational framework to enable learners to understand the skills they are developing as well as to see progress in their language learning from Key Stage 2 to 3.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Languages 7 – 14: building foundations, eliminating barriers
Led by: Thames West Language Network
Lead School: Ada Lovelace C of E High School
This NPP seeks to explore and support curriculum design and implementation and in turn support schools to boost pupils’ engagement and uptake of languages. The project will also build Thames West’s work on primary transition by continuing their KS2-3 German pilot project, alongside French and Spanish.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
7. Progress across key stages
Project title: Harnessing parent power – increasing take-up through progression, involving students and parents
Led by: Isbourne Language Network
Lead school: Pate’s Grammar School
This project seeks to increase uptake at GCSE, by improving motivation and engagement through the development of students’ sense of competency and by engaging parents.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
8. Assessment
Project title: Assessment as learning – fostering pupil autonomy
Led by: Beeleigh Language Network
Lead school: Anglo European School
This NPP will explore how formative assessment and feedback strategies can enhance pupil self-efficacy in MFL, embedding a culture of feedback, reflection, and autonomy.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
9. Integrating the four skills
Project title: Languages work – A focus on integrated skills, task-based learning, culture and careers
Led by: Derwent Language Network
Lead school: Littleover Community School
This NPP seeks to increase uptake in German at A Level, improve productive skills and improve the status and perception of German within further study, careers and among parents and SLT.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
10. Teacher professional learning
Project title: A scalable framework for leading languages
Led by: West Midlands Regional Language Network
Lead Schools: The Arthur Terry School & Painsley Catholic College
Drawing on existing leadership models, including EEF guidance, and the NPQ frameworks, this NPP will produce a case study exploring the emerging leadership framework for language change, providing tangible step-by-step guides to support middle and senior leaders in other settings with future implementation of similar projects.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
11. Civic Engagement
Project title: Breaking down barriers to opportunity through civic engagement
Led by: Solent Language Network
Lead school: Admiral Lord Nelson School
This NPP will support young people in Portsmouth, a DfE Priority Education Investment Area, addressing the disconnect between language learning and perceived career value. At its heart is the ethos of community cohesion and cultural inclusion and a strong emphasis on employability, HHCL (Heritage, Home and Community Languages) and internationalisation, through meaningful, ongoing cross-phase collaboration between colleagues.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Job Talk – Language skills for employability and careers
Led by: Brayford Language Network
Lead school: The Priory Academy
This NPP aims to highlight the direct link between students’ own language learning and employability, opening doors for all students, and developing cultural capital across the regions to motivate and engage.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
12. Home, heritage and community languages
Project title: Celebrating multilingualism – Coventry City of Languages
Led by: Swanswell Language Network (part of the West Midlands Regional Language Network)
Lead school: Sidney Stringer Academy
This NPP will support schools to raise the profile of languages, with a positive impact on pupil perception of the subject, an increase in motivation in classrooms, GCSE and A-Level uptake.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
Project title: Building inclusive communities – Promoting multilingualism
Led by: Adur Language Network
Lead School: Hove Park School
This NPP fosters cross-institutional collaboration, sharing best practices, developing new curricula content that aims to promote and recognise multilingual identities across partnerships and networks at all key stages, while enhancing the uptake, recognition and celebration of home heritage and community languages within the curriculum. Phase one will see us adapting our curriculum to better represent our diverse student population. In phase two we will implement and evaluate a student ambassador programme to inspire younger learners to celebrate multilingualism.
Click here if you’d like to reach out to connect with this project.
