What's On

'Head Start' is a free one-day course on introducing Japanese at your school, plus a Japanese language taster. The event is aimed at secondary heads of MFL, primary language coordinators, senior managers from schools and local authority language advisors. Please click on the attachments below for more information and an application form.

‘Talking Contemporary Japan’ is a series of evening classes designed for adult learners interested in updating and refreshing their knowledge about Japan whilst practising their Japanese language skills. Classes are conducted in Japanese and participants should have Japanese language ability equivalent to JLPT level 2 or above.

Applications are now closed for the next Talking Contemporary Japan course, entitled Getting down to business! - Language and etiquette in Japanese Society'. The course comprises 4 evening sessions between 2nd and 25th March. Participants can attend the course on either Tuesdays or Thursdays (content is the same on both days). Please click on the attachment below for more information.

Enter the Japan Webpage Contest for Schools and win up to £1,000 worth of prizes for your school! We know that many schools are teaching Japanese or doing other projects about Japan, and we want to hear more about it.

Open to:
Any UK primary or secondary school that is teaching Japanese or doing any kind of project related to Japan. Your school does not need to be teaching Japanese to enter.

To enter:
- Make a webpage about the work that your school is doing with Japanese or Japan.
- This can be a blog, wiki, or a page on your school’s website.
- You can enter an existing webpage or create a new webpage from scratch.
- It can be made by just one teacher, or by teachers and students working togethe

The contest is supported by ALL, the British Council, CILT, the Embassy of Japan, the Consulate-General of Japan in Edinburgh, and the Japan Society. Visit the contest website for full details: www.japanwebpagecontest.org.uk

The Japan Foundation will be running at stand at the Primary Languages show on Friday 12 March.

Come along to find out about resources, taster sessions, a Key Stage 2 scheme of work, courses for teachers and other support available for primary schools offering Japanese.

The Japan Foundation will be making a presentation on 'Japanese from Scratch' at Language World 2010.

Come along to find out how you can introduce it at your school, the benefits of learning Japanese, the wide-range of enrichment opportunities it provides and the support available from various institutions.