Joint PiPL/DELTEA Conference
Key findings from the two projects
It’s not an exaggeration to say that primary languages in England are at a key point in their history. First, they have felt under scrutiny during the recent Curriculum & Assessment Review, with the Interim Report (2025) referring to a ‘lack of efficacy’ in provision. Happily, any suggestion that their inclusion in the National Curriculum might be under threat disappeared with the Curriculum & Assessment Review Final Report, where the focus was on amending the National Curriculum to include a clearly stated core content.
Second, we are in the fortunate position to have had two major projects researching into primary languages over the last 4 years– the Progression in Primary Languages (PiPL) project, University of Reading, and the Digital Empowerment in Language Teaching (DELTEA) project, Universities of Southampton and Reading. To have two large projects running at the same time is unusual and gives us a real opportunity to make strides in understanding key issues around how language learning in the primary school progresses, which teaching and learning methods are effective, and which factors influence learners’ outcomes and progression.
These three questions were the focus of the joint end of project conference for both PiPL and DELTEA, held on March 26th at Mary Ward House, London and attended by around 50 language educators from across England.
The presentations that addressed each question can be viewed below.
1: How much progress is possible over four years of primary languages learning?
2: How can technology support language learning and teacher professional development?
3: What factors influence outcomes and progress in primary languages learning?