Dear Members,
It is a real privilege to welcome you back after the summer break as President of ALL, and I'd like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to the outgoing Co-Presidents Annalise Gordon and Steven Fawkes who have led the Association so passionately over the last year.
The start of the new school year is always an exciting time and also includes European Day of Languages (EDoL) on 26th September, which is a great opportunity to promote MFL and global citizenship. Why not take part in ALL's annual writing competition - details can be found here.
I'm aware that I begin my presidency at a time of educational reform, including in MFL, and our priority for the year ahead is to ensure that ALL helps language educators respond to these changes with confidence, creativity and a strong collective voice.
Supporting and strengthening collaboration across all sectors and phases is a crucial aspect of ALL's work. Through our branches, Special Interest Groups, projects and networks, we connect colleagues, share effective practice and make sure that expertise from across our community helps to shape the future of languages education.
Additionally, supporting and empowering language teachers of today and of tomorrow is a high priority. Ensuring that we are working to support routes into teacher training, and ensuring the retention of passionate teachers. The new ALL Peer Mentoring Programme is an important part of this, providing structured and supportive mentoring for members at every stage of their careers.
Ensuring that inclusion and opportunity is championed is also crucial and the return of Erasmus+ offers us an exciting route to bring languages to life through international partnerships and overseas experiences.
Finally, our key goal is to inspire more young people to develop a long lasting love of languages. That ambition is captured perfectly in our theme for Language World 2027:“A Lifelong Love of Languages: Connecting Cultures, Empowering Voices.”
The portal to submit abstracts and register is now open. Please visit our website here for further information.
There is so much to be excited about. By working together, sharing our practice and speaking up for the value of languages, we can make a real difference for teachers, learners and communities across the UK.
There is a bonus video message here if you want to take a look and turn your sound on.
I look forward to working with you all during the year ahead.
ALL President 2026-2028