The Kate Languages Blog

I grumble a lot about the prescribed vocab lists (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) but there are a few things that I do actually like about the new exams.

So, here are 3 things I like about the new French, German and Spanish GCSEs:

1. The rubrics being in English.

I think for the writing and...

Love it or hate it, AI is here to stay, and I have started to use it a lot to help me create the lessons and resources that are for sale on the Kate Languages website.

In the latest episode of the Kate Languages Podcast, I answered a great question that someone DMed me recently, which was:

Do you...

And how you can, too!

This week (19th - 24th January 2026) is "Shout out for German" week - a time to celebrate teaching and learning German in the UK, so I wanted to share some ideas about how to keep German alive and well, in spite of many schools' best efforts to get rid of it!

Many of you don'...

If you're an education business owner (such as a tutor or teaching resources seller), do you track your numbers on a regular basis?

This week in the Teaching Beyond the Classroom community, we had a training call all about tracking your numbers in your education business.

From why it's important t...

The title of this blog post might seem a bit weird (especially if you haven't seen or listened to the latest episode of the Kate Languages Podcast!) - lots of people didn't move house last year, so why on earth am I telling you that I also didn't move?!

Well, the fact is, we were supposed to move h...

I'm not going to lie... getting my head back into work mode after a break isn't easy.

Goals are not to do lists!

Often, when we think about setting goals, we just write out a list of things we want to accomplish by a set time, but I believe that goal setting is a lot more than just a "to do" list.

It can be really hard to work out what your goals are and even harder to actually sti...

To textbook or not at KS3?

I was asked this question for a Q&A episode of the Kate Languages Podcast. Here is a brief summary of my thoughts - for more detail, listen to the episode in full here.

1. Use textbooks as your framework. Treat your textbook as the bones of your scheme of work, not a rig
...

There are a few times in the academic year (especially at the end of term) when it can feel particularly hard to motivate your learners - and yourself!

Here are my top 5 tips for motivating reluctant learners, which in turn might help bring back some of your own motivation...

1. Prioritise creat...

This blog post is a little different as I'm showcasing YOUR top tips for using Kate Languages resources!

I recently sent out a feedback questionnaire, and lots of you wonderful people responded with some extremely helpful information that I've been using to inform the direction of Kate Languages th...

Having a strong end to a lesson is such an essential part of your planning, but something that can easily be missed or ignored in the general stress and craziness of teaching!

So, here are my top 5 tips for making sure you have a great, and not chaotic, end to every lesson...

1. Allocate at least ...

Here are my 5 tips for acing speaking and writing in MFL lessons:

1. Never jump straight into speaking and writing. These are active skills that need careful scaffolding, so always build up to them by introducing vocabulary and doing listening/reading activities first. Students need exposure to the...