Lingo 4 Life! is a multi-faceted initiative that looks for lively and fun ways to sensitise pupils to the idea that learning a language is not only interesting and enjoyable, it is also closely related to their job prospects after school. It identifies key problem areas such as low take up post-14 and the low numbers of boys learning languages and comes up with some imaginative solutions.

The project begins at KS2 where pupils take part in a Little Linguist event. Sixth form linguists and Business Ambassadors from local companies are trained to deliver all the activities to the primary pupils. There are also European cultural activities to raise awareness of the personal and fun opportunities they can have through meeting and getting to know children from our neighbouring countries. Year 8 boys get the chance to take part in the Language4Lads programme which allows them to visit their local university, talk to Business Ambassadors and take part in stimulating workshops.

At the project’s core is its co-operation with the local business community through the use of Business Ambassadors. These are people from local companies who are given time off to work with the Education Business Partnership.

Language(s): Russian, Japanese, Italian, Dutch, French, Spanish, German, Persian, and Greek.

Education Business Partnership is in the heart of North Tyneside, which has an eclectic mix of both very poor and affluent areas. There is a diverse range of cultures with lots of community languages spoken. This project was partly Comenius funded.