Holyrood to host innovative language awards

071/2006 | 26 September 2006 

A prestigious award ceremony for innovative language projects will be held at the Scottish Parliament today, 26 September 2006 - the nominated European Day of Languages.

The European Award for Languages, which recognises outstanding creativity in language teaching, will be presented by former newsreader and CILT patron Sir Trevor McDonald, Scottish Minister for Education and Young People, Peter Peacock and hosted by Presiding Officer George Reid MSP.

This is the first time the awards, which are co-ordinated in the UK by CILT (the National Centre for Languages) and supported by the European Commission, have been held in Scotland.

Two of the 12 winners are Scottish - Shawlands Academy, Glasgow, receive an award for their Litterhitters clean-up campaign, while Edinburgh-based Heriot-Watt University receives the special Adult Education Prize for bringing together teenage learners, student interpreters and community figures in a multilingual debate.

Additionally, as part of the ceremony, Heriot-Watt's award-winning debate will be held in the parliamentary debating chamber, with students acting as interpreters.

Presiding Officer George Reid MSP, said:

"The Scottish Parliament is delighted to be hosting this ceremony which recognises the inspiration and creativity being developed in the teaching and learning of different languages.

"I look forward to meeting the winners and celebrating their achievements."

Other winners covering the areas of primary, secondary and higher education, include:

• A World of Books, Oughtrington Community Primary School, Cheshire

• Around the World in 80 Minutes, Théâtre sans frontières, Northumberland

• Where We Live, International Learning and Research Centre, South Gloucestershire

• Enhancing Community Languages, Aveling Park School, London

• Inter@action, Ringwood School, Hampshire

• Invade Orford!, Debenham High School, Suffolk

• Vocational International Project Sheffield (VIPS), Sheffield Local Authority

• Immersion Teaching, Tile Hill Wood School & Language College, Coventry

• Junior CULP, University of Cambridge

• Able Linguist Day, University of Portsmouth

Background notes

Litterhitters!, Shawlands Academy, Glasgow

This whole-school initiative links a city clean-up operation and a school litter campaign, educating students about environmental issues in French. The approach is cross-curricular integrating subjects as Citizenship, Drama and ICT. Students have worked closely with international partners to produce a website looking at the environment in a European context. Highlights of the project include a video diary, workbook and a French play. Not only were pupils involved in staging and production of the play but in regenerating the park where it was performed in an environmental service to the local community.

Multilingual Debate, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh

Prominent members of the local community such as the Chief of Police and Spanish Consul were invited to take part in a formal debate with an audience of over 500 upper secondary students from across Scotland. The audience members rely on services from final year interpreting undergraduates when the debate switches to a language they do not understand. University students are therefore provided with a rare opportunity for genuine interpreting and younger learners see fluency is achievable.

European Language Awards

Also known as the European Label, the award recognises projects demonstrating an innovative, effective and replicable approach to learning languages. CILT, the National Centre for Languages, is the UK co-ordinator of this Council of Europe initiative, which has recognised over 770 innovative projects across Europe since the end of an initial pilot phase in 1999.

The awards ceremony, has until now, always been held in London at the Foreign Office or at the French, German or Italian Embassy.

CILT, the National Centre for Languages, is the Government's recognised centre of expertise on languages. CILT is based in London but operates throughout the United K ingdom in partnership with CILT Cymru, Northern Ireland CILT and Scottish CILT as well are (Regional) Language Networks and Comenius Network.

For more information, including 2006 award sponsors, please go to www.cilt.org.uk/eal

For further information, the Scottish Parliament media contact is:

Sally Coyne: 0131 348 6265
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email: sally.coyne@scottish.parliament.uk

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