We had a whale of a time celebrating European Day of Languages as a whole school community!

Pupils and staff from Pre-Prep right the way through to Sixth Form supported the campaign, which takes place every year on September 26th. The global initiative is organised by the Council of Europe and the European Commission.

This year's theme - 'Languages open hearts and minds' - highlights the power of languages to connect us, inspire new ideas, and broaden horizons. There are 24 official languages in Europe but adding in regional and minority languages, the total number spoken across the continent is over 200.

At Acremont Pre-Prep, Reception, Year 1, and Year 2 children took advantage of the mild weather by taking their celebrations out into the garden. The children were introduced to different playground games from around Europe and the world; from Portugal to France and Thailand to Botswana. Pupils and staff created lovely memories by learning how children from across the globe enjoy their play!

At Prep, the focus was very much on MFL and intercultural enrichment challenges, including designing European Day of Languages posters, and creating presentations and fact files on different countries. Students were also introduced to this year's Poésíæ poetry competition, which King's has enjoyed success in for several years running now.

At Senior and Sixth Form, our MFL Department went all out for the occasion, filling the school with energy, colour, and curiosity for languages. From the ever-popular food tasting workshops to language-themed board games, and even an introduction to sign language led by Miss Thorpe, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

One event that had the school buzzing was our inaugural 'Staff MFL Spelling Bee'. Teachers bravely went head-to-head in foreign languages: Mr Fisher and Miss Kyndt in French, Dr Ost and Mr Thomas in German, and Mr Mathie and Mr Currie in Spanish. While their levels of experience varied, what shone through was their willingness to step outside their comfort zones and model resilience, humour, and vulnerability in front of the school community!

Mrs Brigitte Bousquet, Head of MFL at King's Ely Senior, said: "I am deeply grateful to them for showing our students that languages are for everyone, not just language teachers. In Friday’s assembly, two of our international students shared their own journeys of learning a second (or even third) language. They spoke honestly about the early challenges - missing the jokes, struggling with subtle meanings - but also about the rewards of perseverance. Over time, they became fluent, and in doing so gained an extra pair of glasses through which to see the world. That is, ultimately, the heart of language learning: openness, curiosity, and a genuine interest in other people and cultures. At King's, this is what we celebrate - not only in the MFL Department but across the whole school."

As part of the celebrations, Year 10 and Year 12 students were introduced to the prestigious Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators, which is organised by the University of Oxford. 

Mrs Bousquet said: "For the practice round, pupils were challenged to translate poetry - no easy task! Together, they first explored some of the key difficulties translators face: Can you preserve the rhythm and rhyme of the original? Should the structure or vocabulary be adapted to capture the true meaning? These questions sparked lively discussion before students put their skills to the test.

"It was inspiring to see such high levels of engagement and creativity from our students as they grappled with the art of translation. The results of our internal competition will be announced in the coming weeks, and we look forward to seeing how our budding linguists perform when the official competition takes place in February!"

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