Welcome to Outreach in Modern Languages and Linguistics at the University of Southampton.
Modern Languages and Linguistics at Southampton is offering secondary school outreach on-campus and off-campus activities in order to promote our enthusiasm for our area and to inspire young people to take up and to continue studying Modern Languages of all Key Stages in primary and secondary.
Whether your students are considering GCSEs, A Levels or university study, our outreach programme aims to inspire curiosity, build confidence and demonstrate the many opportunities that language learning can offer.
We work with schools and colleges across the UK to provide engaging workshops, interactive taster sessions, campus visits and careers talks that showcase how languages connect with fields as diverse as business, technology or politics. We have engaged with over 15,000 school pupils over the years.
If you are a teacher looking for enrichment opportunities or a student wondering where languages could take you, we would be delighted to welcome you.
Please follow us on Instagram , X and TikTok to be updated with the latest news and the forthcoming events.
Why study languages at Southampton?
The University of Southampton is recognised as one of the UK's leading institutions for Languages and Linguistics. We are ranked 1st in the UK for Graduate Outcomes in Linguistics ( The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026 ), Top 10 in the UK for French and Linguistics, and 12th for Iberian Languages ( Complete University Guide 2027 ), and Top 10 in the UK for Languages and Linguistics ( The Guardian University Guide 2026 ).
At Southampton, languages are studied alongside culture, society, literature, linguistics, translation and real-world communication.
Students benefit from excellent teaching in small groups, supportive academic staff, a welcoming international community, opportunities to study or work abroad, flexible degree pathways, and research-led teaching.
If you are interested in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese or linguistics, you will develop practical language skills alongside a deep understanding of cultures and societies around the world.
At the University of Southampton, you can study languages in a way that aligns with your academic interests and degree pathway: as a Single Honours degree , as a Joint Honours degree combined with another/other language(s), such as Business Management , History , English , etc. Or, depending on your programme, as part of a Minor or as an optional module that complements and broadens your main field of study.
These combinations allow graduates to bring international perspectives to many different professions.
Our outreach events
Our outreach activities are designed to inspire young people, support teachers and demonstrate the value of language learning beyond the classroom.
Activities can be delivered either on campus or at your school, and many can be adapted to suit different age groups.
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Modern Languages Study Day
Discover what it is like to study languages at university with an exciting day on campus. The University of Southampton hosts Language Days designed to inspire students through a range of engaging activities. Participants can enjoy interactive language taster sessions in Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic, explore different cultures through hands-on workshops, meet our student ambassadors, tour the campus, learn about the wide range of career opportunities that languages can open up, and experience university life first-hand.
Designed for students in Years 9–13, these events aim to inspire young people to continue studying languages beyond school, broaden their understanding of the value of languages and intercultural communication, and help them make informed decisions about their future studies and careers.
School Workshops and Talks
Bring the world of languages and linguistics into your classroom with one of our interactive outreach workshops and talks. Delivered by members of our academic team, these sessions are designed to inspire students, challenge common misconceptions about language learning, and demonstrate the value of languages in today's global society.
We offer a wide range of topics, including why languages matter, the career opportunities they open up, translation and interpreting, language and artificial intelligence, world cultures, literature, studying or working abroad, and the role of languages in business. Every activity can be tailored to the interests, curriculum and age group of your students, ensuring an engaging and relevant experience.
If you are interested in arranging a workshop or would like to discuss a bespoke session for your school, please contact us at MLOutreach@soton.ac.uk .
Sixth Form Modern Languages and Linguistics Day
The University of Southampton hosts an annual Linguistics Day exclusively for Sixth Form students, offering an engaging introduction to the scientific study of language. Through a series of interactive lectures and hands-on activities led by our academics, students explore how language works and how it shapes the way we communicate, think and interact with the world. Topics may include accents and dialects, multilingualism, forensic linguistics, language and artificial intelligence, language change, and the science of communication. As well as providing a taste of studying linguistics at university, the event highlights the relevance of the discipline to contemporary issues and showcases the wide range of careers that a degree in linguistics can lead to.
Día de Muertos Celebration
Our El Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration has become a highlight of our calendar.
Día de Muertos is an important event with Catholic and Aztec roots. It takes place on 1st and 2nd November, and is celebrated by Mexicans, in Mexico, the USA, the UK and across the world.
>The event comprises beautiful rituals that honour the lives of many departed ancestors with happiness and love. Families remember their dead and place altars in their homes. They decorate tombs and attend huge street events, too.
As part of Dr Jane Lavery’s research on the Dia de Muertos and work with schools, she has run events involving over 10,000 children and in collaboration with the Embassy to Mexico in the UK and Consejería de Educación (Spanish Embassy). Events include online or in person workshops, talks, and CPD involving cross departmental collaborations with MFL, PSHE, History, English, Art and Food Tech amongst others.
An altar video competition and the publication of skull poetry and short stories published in (digital) book form with Southampton University Press.
There is a toolkit of resources available to schoolteachers, created by Jane Lavery. This is available for all those that complete the online CPD with Jane.
Find out more on Jane Lavery’s Day of the Dead page .
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Other activities
Besides our on and off campus activities, we collaborate and organise a range of other exciting activities including:
- Hosting the South East Regional Final of the Routes into Languages Foreign Language Spelling Bee. Read about it here: National Translation Bee Competition | Routes into Languages
- Collaboration with other organisations such as the Mexican Embassy in London or the
Consejería de Educación (Spanish Embassy). The activities may range from competition events and contests. Examples include our Spanish Language Day art competition and Call for Submissions: United Kingdom and Ireland Collection of Mexican Day of the Dead Skull Poems / Calaveras Literarias 2025 . - Hosting the online National Regional Final Awards Routes into Languages Foreign Language Spelling Bee in partnership with the Mexican Embassy to the UK 2022
- The creation of bespoke activities for primary and secondary schools which can be beneficial to schools in terms of the development of a strong Modern Languages profile.
- The Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme (UAS) is a module awarding academic credit to students who are working with teachers in schools and colleges. The students work as teaching assistants and act as positive role-models for the pupils in local schools. This successful programme for Science and Maths students has now been extended to students of Geography, Modern Languages and Social Sciences.
- Off-campus Modern Languages Days: events held at primary and secondary schools dedicated to a celebration of Modern Languages. These events are co-run by school staff and Southampton University staff and students from the Modern Languages and Linguistics department. Events could include cooking, introductory language sessions, sports in the language, singing events and more.
- Fostering new or existing links with schools by inviting Modern Languages and Linguistics staff and students to participate in talks to Modern Languages students at schools. Our students are available to visit schools to give targeted presentations about studying courses in Modern Languages and Linguistics as well as year abroad experiences.
Contact us for further enquiries .
Contacts
L.Salguero-Esteban - Outreach Officer for the LCL Department
Marta Crosby - Co-Lead Routes into Languages South
Dr Jane Lavery - Day of the Dead schools enrichment
For more general information, please contact us here: MLOutreach@soton.ac.uk
Visit our main Modern Languages and Linguistics pages to explore undergraduate and postgraduate Modern Languages and Linguistics degree provision.
Languages South East – support for language teachers.
Modern Languages can be studied part time with Lifelong Learning and Language Opportunity programmes
Events
Details of outreach events for schools will be listed in the events section of this website. Here's what's coming up:
- Linguistic Day at Avenue Campus - 30 September 2026
- Jornadas Didácticas, in collaboration with Portsmouth University and Consejería de Educación, - 30 September 2026
- Language Study Day at Avenue Campues, 10 February 2027
- Language Workshop at Perins School, date TBC, spring 2027
- Talk Promoting BA in Languages, Cultures and Communication, Itchen School, date TBC, careers week
- Online Teach Meet Forum, date TBC, spring 2027
- Online Careers Panel Discussion, TBC, spring 2027
- Spelling Bee, date TBC, spring 2027