University of Leeds launches new Languages for All Hub to support A-level language learning
The hub was launched during this year's Leeds City of Languages festival (9-22 November), led by festival organisers Sofia Martinho and Bettina Hermoso-Gomez.
Academics from the University of Leeds' School of Languages, Cultures and Societies have helped to launch a new Leeds Languages for All Hub, bringing schools and the University of Leeds together to expand opportunities for young people studying modern languages at A-level.
The new Leeds hub forms part of the wider Languages for All initiative, a local partnership between schools and the University of Leeds to deliver engaging and affordable A-level modern languages courses. Alongside classroom learning, students can benefit from activities including careers events and opportunities to travel abroad, helping them explore where language learning can take them.
The Leeds Hub was launched at an event with the University's Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Shearer West, on Wednesday 11 November, as part of the 2026 Leeds City of Languages festival, a two-week celebration of multilingualism and cultural diversity coordinated by Sofia Martinho (Professor of Language Education and Civic Engagement and Director of the Camões Centre for Portuguese Language at Leeds) and Bettina Hermoso-Gomez (Associate Professor in Spanish and Director of Routes into Languages Yorkshire and Humberside). This year's festival features more than 100 events in over 30 languages.
Professor Shearer West, the University of Leeds' Vice-Chancellor and President, said:
“No young person should have to give up studying a language they love simply because their school cannot sustain an A-level class. The Languages for All Hub is about breaking down those barriers by working in partnership with schools to create opportunities that might otherwise be lost. We want to ensure that every young person, whatever their background, has the chance to continue learning languages and discover other cultures.”
Sofia and Bettina are the academic leads for the Hub, working closely with the Faculty Education Engagement team, particularly Alex Peel and Charlene Gaubert. They added:
"We are so pleased to be involved in Languages for All and help wider access to language learning in the region. This initiative reflects the University of Leeds’ commitment to its civic mission and our ongoing outreach work with schools. We hope to inspire more young people to recognise the value of continuing their language studies at A-level and university."
The Leeds Languages for All Hub is part of a national programme sponsored by the Reach Foundation. The scheme establishes local hubs where schools and universities collaborate to ensure students can continue studying languages, particularly where individual schools may not have sufficient demand or capacity to run courses independently.
Michael Slavinsky, Managing Director at Languages for All, said:
"Languages open doors, and open minds. The study of languages is at risk of being inaccessible to too many young people, which is why collaboration is so crucial to preserving the language study pathways. Languages can learn from sport, music and drama, where we consider it perfectly normal for young people to compete or perform in collaboration with those from other schools. Similarly, it should be normal for linguists from one school to go on trips and even study with students from another school. The University of Leeds provides an ambitious local destination for our brightest linguists to aim for."
