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New national curriculum makes languages compulsory from age five

The Telegraph has published an article discussing the introduction of a new national curriculum this week in primary schools, which is making languages compulsory for children aged five to seven. The new curriculum, which will also see the introduction of a new computing syllabus, has been designed to ‘stop English pupils falling behind their peers in other countries’. To read the article, visit the Telegraph website. Continue reading →

Dr Aude Campmas presentation at Association of Medical Humanities conference

Supported by the ILC research travel fund, Dr Aude Campmas recently presented a paper at the Association of Medical Humanities Annual Conference  ‘The Art of Compassion’, on 7–9 July 2014 at the University of Southampton. Abstract: Martyrdom and (com)passion in Huysmans’s St. Lydwine of Schiedam In the presentation I explore the influence of medical models in the novel, St. Lydwine of Schiedam by the fin de siècle author Joris-Karl Huysmans. Continue reading →

Vote for this year’s public language champion

The Guardian is asking the public to vote for an individual in the public eye who they think best champions language education for the second year of its Public Language Champion Award. The award, launched in partnership British Academy, aims to recognise a public figure who has demonstrated commitment to and passion for the importance of language in British society. To read more about the award, and find out about last year’s nominees, visit the Guardian website. Continue reading →

Free language learning app reaches new levels of success

The Guardian has published an article about the journey and ambitions of Luis von Ahn, creator of the free language learning app, Duolingo. Launched in 2012, the app now has 40 million registered users worldwide and engages its users with its unique design and teaching methods. Von Ahn’s hope is that it will continue to allow anyone who has internet access to learn a language for free. To read more about the Duolingo app and its creator, visit the article page on the Guardian website. Continue reading →

Dig Basing! Coming to a garden near you

If you are interested in the archaeology and history of Basing House, then you may like to know that the Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society (BAHS) are organising a community archaeology project called Dig Basing! which will take place during the second half of September 2014. An invitation to participate This exciting venture invites Basing residents to engage in practical archaeology by volunteering to dig a 1m x 1m test pit in their garden. Continue reading →

Spanish may become the ‘dominant’ language in schools

TES Connect has reported on a prediction by Andrew Hall, the chief executive of exam board AQA, that Spanish is soon likely to become ‘the most commonly-taught foreign language in UK schools’. The report follows this year’s GCSE results, which showed an increase of more than 20,000 Spanish GCSE entries since 2012. To read the full article, visit the TES Connect website. Continue reading →

Basing House Project Joins Pinterest

We’re now on Pinterest! Some of the team are big pinners, and have been busy setting up a Basing House Project Pinterest page. Our intention is to collect pins about all things Basing House related, as inspiration for team members. As a starter, here is our first board, Tudor Objects, which pulls together objects from Hampshire that are the kinds of things that a Tudor visitor to Basing House might have been familiar with. Continue reading →