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Language-Driven Pedagogy

Understanding, improving and promoting language learning.

The Language-Driven Pedagogy (LDP) initiative involves university researchers, teacher educators, and expert practitioners in England, with the aim of better understanding, supporting, and improving curriculum design and pedagogy for learning second ('foreign') languages in this context.
We have developed illustrative language-led and practice-based curricula, in which three core strands of language knowledge (phonics, vocabulary, and grammar) are carefully woven together to underpin the development of confident communication, cultural understanding, and creative use of language. Our fully editable resources and our Professional Development courses particularly support teaching that aligns with subject content for GCSE in England in French, German, and Spanish.
Our work draws on strong, dynamic partnerships between teaching practice and academic research, and is led by an active collaboration between Emma Marsden at The University of York and Rachel Hawkes at The Cam Academy Trust.

Contact us

CPD Unit

CPD@york.ac.uk

LDP website

LDP has produced extensive suites of freely available and fully editable resources in the form of sample activities, schemes of work, complete lesson resources, listening materials, homework activities, and assessments for French, German and Spanish at Key Stages 3 and 4.

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It was refreshing to feel truly inspired by CPD and it has really made me think about my own approach to curriculum as I look towards the new GCSE and the challenges and opportunities it will bring.

Claire Hamner. Head of Department, Malet Lambert School, Hull.

NCELP Evaluation Report 

March 2023

The National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy was established in December 2018. By March 2023, it had accomplished an extensive range of activities, working closely with teachers, researchers, teacher educators and many other stakeholders in languages education communities in England.

This final report provides an in-depth account and evaluation of NCELP’s endeavours during this period.

Read the full report

Useful resources

Explore research-informed materials and resources to support language learning and teaching.

As I write, our French assistant is sitting with six Year 7s, speaking only French and asking them questions...they are quite simply amazing! She is bowled over. They are coping better than many year 11 students even could - honestly! The students literally have nothing (no prompts or anything) in front of them - they didn't even know the assistant was coming until this morning - a little surprise for them.
Real communication and interaction happening as they talk.

 Jane Wood, Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead. 9 June 2023

Contact us

CPD Unit

CPD@york.ac.uk