The Languages Company

James Burch is one of the country’s most experienced trainers of secondary modern languages teachers.  From his early career as an innovative and inspirational teacher and Head of Department he has developed a deep understanding of the processes of language teaching and learning.  He is currently based at the University of Cumbria (formerly St Martin’s College, Lancaster) where for 20 years he was Head of Languages. He is now the director of the secondary PGCE programmes within the institution.

Nick Byrne has been  Director of the Language Centre at The London School of Economics and Political Science since 1999.  Before this he was a German and French teacher in schools, a University lecturer and  Head of the Centre for Languages at the former London Institute. He is a National Teaching Fellow and a member of the Higher Education Academy and the Executive Boards of AULC - Association of University Language Centres for the UK & Ireland, and UCML – University Council for Modern Languages. Nick is also Deputy Secretary of CERCLES – the European Confederation of Language Centres. He has a range of research interests on policy and pedagogy in Higher Education  and is currently leading a three-year project for the DfES on language learning, testing & employability.

Do Coyle taught modern languages for 16 years in a variety of comprehensive schools is an experienced university teacher educator and currently professor in Learning Innovation at the University of Aberdeen.. Her research interests combine new technologies and e-learning with teacher education and classroom pedagogy particularly in the fields of effective learning and teaching.  Most recently she has focused on her innovative Teaching and Learning Observatory which brings together new technologies and effective learning into a network of national and international linked classroom sites. Over a number of years she has also made major contribution to the development of CLIL pedagogies (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and is active in European and international networks in this area.

Alan Dobson is an independent education consultant who previously was the senior HMI for modern foreign languages for many years. He was a member of the National Strategy Group for Languages 2001-2002 and the UK representative on the EU Expert Group on Languages 2002-2008. He was appointed a Comenius Fellow by CILT – the National Centre for Languages in 2004 and was recently elected Chair of the Governing Board of the Council of Europe’s European Centre for Modern Languages.

Bernardette Holmes is an innovative and inspiring teacher who throughout a long career in languages, as adviser, Inspector, teacher trainer and researcher has made a major contribution to languages education in England.  She advised and worked on the guidance for the original  National Curriculum orders, and has played a significant role in such key areas as Assessment, Autonomy,  Languages for all, the use of the Target Language and CLIL.  Since the introduction of the National Strategy she has overseen development of  the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages and played a central role in articulating both the pedagogy and support structures needed for coherent language learning in schools.  Currently she is researching primary developments and developing links between Schools and University.

Terry Lamb is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield where he is Director of Teaching in the Department of Educational Studies and Director of the MA in Applied Professional Studies in Education. He is former President of the Association for Language Learning, and was a member of the Government´s National Languages Steering Group which developed the National Languages Strategy. He is a governor of CILT, the National Centre for Languages, a member of the National Community Languages Advisory Group, and a member of the Executive of UCML. In 2008 he was appointed Chair of the Languages Diploma Development Partnership by the Secretary of State for Education. Terry is also President of FIPLV (Fédération Internationale des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes).

Ros Mitchell is Professor of Applied Linguistics in the School of Humanities, University of Southampton. Her early career was spent as a teacher of French and Irish in a Dublin secondary school. After some years researching foreign language education and bilingual education in Scotland, she moved to Southampton where she has worked in Education and more recently in Modern Languages. Her research interests have to do with second language acquisition (French and Spanish), with language education policy, and with classroom learning and teaching. She is currently involved in a major DCSF-funded study of languages in primary schools, and in an EU-funded network researching multilingualism in European schools.

Itesh Sachdev was born in Kenya, and received his formal education in Kenya, UK and Canada. He is Professor of Language and Communication at SOAS (University of London) and currently the Director of the SOAS-UCL Centre for Excellence in ‘Languages of the Wider World’ (see www.lww-cetl.ac.uk).  He has published widely in the social psychology of intergroup relations and language, and has conducted research in several parts of the world including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, France, Hong Kong, India, Paraguay, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Tunisia and the UK.

Nick Warren has a firm belief in Early Language learning and extensive experience of language teaching. As Head of Parkroyal Community School he leads an inspirational team committed to teaching and embedding modern languages within the primary curriculum. Nick has been actively involved in teaching and promoting primary languages throughout his career, which has taken him from classroom teacher to being Head of three very different large primary schools in three very different LEAs. Nick has also been an LEA Advisor as well as having taught in Germany for three years.  His  work now takes him across the country  sharing his encouraging and motivating vision for primary MFL with teachers, head teachers and advisors from all phases within the educational community.

Lid King established the Languages Company in 2008 in order to support the National Languages Strategy.   A languages teacher in secondary, higher and adult education, advanced level examiner and materials writer, Lid was Director of CILT from 1992 to 2003, during which time he led the organisation through a period of significant expansion, setting up regional centres (Comenius Centres), a national conference programme with supporting publications and research dissemination, new on line information services and support for business languages.  Since 2003 he has been NATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR LANGUAGES taking forward the implementation of the National Languages Strategy for England.  He is co-author – with Lord Ron Dearing – of The Languages Review, and has represented the UK on languages at both the European Union and The Council of Europe.

Imke Djouadj is a qualified teacher and information officer who has worked on European projects since 2004.  She brings :

• 3 years experience as Work Package leader for content on the major Lingu@net Europa project;
• experience as a project administrator and information officer  since 2000.

She is experienced at co-ordinating a large, international team (up to 40 people from 20 countries) on-line, as well as in selection and cataloguing of on-line resources, and quality assurance.

Kate Green is a secondary languages specialist with additional experience in primary, adult languages and EFL.   Before being seconded to the DfES in 2003 she worked for a national awarding body and then as  Principal Subject Officer for Modern Languages and Classics  at the QCA.   At the DfES and later DCSF she was Project Director for the National Recognition Scheme for Languages, a key strand of the National Languages Strategy, devising and developing the Languages Ladder scheme and working with Cambridge Assessment on the associated Asset Languages  qualifications. She is now continuing this work for the Languages Company, with a particular emphasis on take-up at KS4.   She is also  Senior Adviser for the Links into Languages programme. 

Jo Peach has worked in both primary and secondary sectors as a teacher, as a teacher trainer and as an OFSTED inspector for primary, secondary and ITE.  She has been an LA adviser and works with local authorities to support school improvement and she is on the executive committee of NALA.She supports the primary element of the National Languages Strategy working with Local Authorities by visiting them and speaking at conferences to help share information on funding and progress towards entitlement. This information also helps the DCSF to monitor progress nationally and to make decisions about support for primary languages.

The work of the Languages Company is underpinned by Susie Ward,  PA to Lid and Administrator.