Mapping inequality in SHAPE British Academy report shows Cold Spots in SHAPE Provision. An important read, check it out on our website: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/09/12/b...

Hot off the press, the British Academy's Cold Spots: Mapping Inequality in SHAPE Provision in UK Higher Education report. Read it if you care about universities or access to the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for the rising generation. 1/5

'The Office for Students (OfS), England's higher education regulator, welcomed the move and suggested more universities may explore similar options as they battle economic challenges, with 40% of English universities now believed to be in financial deficit.'

We are delighted that Emma Cayley, Current Chair of UCFL has been appointed to the REF subpanel for 2029. university-council-for-languages.org/2025/09/05/n...

📜Call for Papers: Digital Medievalist sponsored sessions International Medieval Congress 2026 (Leeds, UK). We seek proposals on the following themes: - 'Large Language Models and Medieval Texts' - 'Digital Methods and Materiality of Manuscripts' ▶️Full call: tinyurl.com/f82tcrzk 📆21 Sept 2025

At a time of pressure on higher education here is one bright spot. Our @britishacademy.bsky.social Early Career Researcher Network now has national coverage and provides a free support network to humanities & social science researchers across the UK! www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/early-c...

The REF has been paused for 3 months as policymakers scratch their heads to figure out how to resolve various tensions. This prescient piece by @annamgrey.bsky.social lays out those complexities www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-v...

The names of panel members for the criteria-setting phase of REF 2029 have now been announced on our panels pages. 2029.ref.ac.uk/news/expert-...

Delighted and honoured to serve as sub-panel member (assessment) for #REF2029 UoA 26: Modern Languages and Linguistics @ucflangs.bsky.social

The four UK higher education funding bodies confirm the pause in the criteria setting and publication of final guidance for REF 2029 for a short period, as announced by the UK Science Minister Lord Vallance today at the Universities UK conference. 2029.ref.ac.uk/news/pause-t...

📣 Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Chinese Studies @ucddublin.bsky.social - www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOJ524/l...

The APPG Modern Languages has shared a Letter to The Times by Baroness Coussins, Co-chair of the APPG, in response to their recent leading article arguing falling languages uptake narrows young people's horizons (www.thetimes.com/comment/the-...)

Bit more on the Guardian liveblog here www.theguardian.com/education/li...

Lost in translation - the case for learning modern foreign languages www.ft.com/content/c9f3...

Vicky Gough, British Council’s schools adviser, said: “We need the success of Spanish reflected across all languages through exchanges, cultural programmes and real-world connections that demonstrate why languages matter. [...] young people from less privileged backgrounds miss out on opportunities"

It’s GCSE results day: new data shows Spanish has overtaken French in popularity for the first time in history, while German uptake continues to decline. Read the full story here 👉 buff.ly/rx4fJ4z

Following our successful pilot programme, we are delighted to announce the SHAPE Involve and Engage programme will open on 1 September. If you would like to apply in September, this is the perfect time to find a GLAM organisation to partner with: buff.ly/efUOSoL

Good step that Chevening scholars from Gaza will be supported in getting to the UK, and hopefully this can be extended to others with university offers and scholarships www.thetimes.com/article/bf52...

🚨 Tim Unwin Early Career Researcher Grant 🚨 Early career researcher grants of up to £500 are available to SDN members to assist with a research project related to 19th-century French studies. Send us your application by 1 September! More info here: uksdn.co.uk/ecr-grant/

Languages and the 2025 A-Level Picture - a blog post by our @ucflangs.bsky.social vice-chair Marcela Cazzoli @marcecazzoli.bsky.social : 👇 university-council-for-languages.org/2025/08/14/l...

Wow. The University of Chicago, a world-class institution whose humanities faculty in the past has included Homi Bhabha & Lauren Berlant & Ralph Ellison & Hannah freaking Arendt, is getting rid of basically every graduate department involving the acknowledgment that other cultures & languages exist.

Congratulations on all receiving A-level English Language, Lang & Lit, Literature results! 💫 And to all their teachers ! We commend the fantastic opportunities that study of these subjects offer 🥳. Find out what English studies brings ! englishassociation.ac.uk/case-studies/

Rather different but on the theme of languages this is a powerful essay by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o www.theguardian.com/books/2025/a...

Will we accidentally lose our capability in geopolitically key languages as universities close provision? on.ft.com/3Hw6eq3

N8 and Russell Group universities both exploring whether collaboration can help retain modern languages provision. With a sharing link for 3 non-subscribers. on.ft.com/3UWf8Aj

Job klaxon 🎉 More posts @lcsleeds.bsky.social - a fixed term 0.5 role in Ancient Greek History. Deadline 22nd August.

Join us in June 2026 in Dublin! Keynotes by @renskehoff.bsky.social ; @wynkenhimself.bsky.social and Aditi Nafde #REBPAF #MSCA #ResearchImpactEU

Was pleased to represent @ucflangs.bsky.social on @lbc.co.uk today in conversation with Matt Frei about the crisis for languages & their importance for global Britain, following the @hepi-news.bsky.social report by Megan Bowler. Listen at c.10.50am: www.globalplayer.com/catchup/lbc/...

🎉 Happy Yorkshire Day! We’re proud to bring together the Universities of Leeds, Sheffield, and York in a collaborative partnership that places people at the heart of everything we do. Today we're taking a moment to highlight the incredible talent right here in Yorkshire at our partner universities.

Gutting humanities and social sciences means, “The erosion of intellectual diversity, the neglect of vulnerable students who find their voices and futures within these fields, and the abandonment of the university’s commitment to a more just and inclusive society.” www.crikey.com.au/2025/07/31/a...

The British Academy is opening a call for evidence from individuals and organisations with expertise in the key public policy areas for social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Find more information and details about how to respond here: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/programmes/c...

Read UCFL's reaction to the new HEPI report on languages: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/31/n... The recommendations for HE are particularly welcome, as are those around equality of access and social justice. @emmacayley.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social

@ucflangs.bsky.social The University Council For Languages (UCFL) responds to welcome a new @hepi-news.bsky.social report and joins them in calling for urgent action on revitalising language learning university-council-for-languages.org/2025/07/31/n...

We're excited to launch Research at Leeds, a space to explore the ideas, impact, and stories behind our research and innovation. From climate action to health equity, from AI to arts and culture – this is where we spotlight the pioneering work shaping our shared future. researchatleeds.leeds.ac.uk

#CFP for ##IMCLEEDS 2026. Looking for scholars who are interested in the relationship between bodies and time. #MedievalSky #MedievalHistory #Medieval #Skystorians #AcademicSky #HistorySky #EarlyModernSky #EarlyModernHistory #EarlyModern #MaterialCulture #Bodies #WhatsHistory #IMC2026 #IMC2025

Call for papers: New Directions in Old English Prose, Oxford, 30-31 March 2026 @oxembi.bsky.social roep.web.ox.ac.uk/event/confer...

In the latest episode of the @bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk's podcast series, Crossing Channels, Benjamin Pitt & I discuss the value of speaking other languages: pod.fo/e/2fb7e1. @benpitt.bsky.social explains how language & culture shape the way people think & the value of cultural/linguistic diversity

Our President, Professor Dame Julia Black, sat down with @financialtimes.com. Describing the government's approach to universities as "confused, if not incoherent", she calls for regulatory reform and a cross-party commission to look at the future of higher education www.ft.com/content/3162...

In our final LSP opinion piece, Biddle and Andrews present inspiring examples of close-to-practice research. The entire collection underlines the vital role of collaboration. Let's all work together! @charlesforsdick www.lspjournal.com/post/how-can...

What does it mean to think like a linguist? And how can we bring creativity and inclusive culture into language learning? Read Charlotte Ryland's fascinating piece in our LSP edited collection www.lspjournal.com/post/think-l... @cforsdick.bsky.social

A great afternoon in Westminster thanks to the APPG ML. We presented our collective response to the Curriculum & Assessment Review: university-council-for-languages.org/2025/06/23/c... Was pleased to be there to represent @ucflangs.bsky.social with @wendya-b.bsky.social & @marcecazzoli.bsky.social

.."Sequence and Simultaneity in the 'Grandes Chroniques de France': 'Incidences' as a Historiographical Category" (@mediumaevum.bsky.social‬, backdated to 2024) mediumaevum.org.uk/93/2/316 with more to come in the very near future!

Happy to announce two publications related to medieval historiography: (ed.) "Making History with Manuscripts in Medieval and Early Modern Europe" (@dgb-mem.bsky.social‬) doi.org/10.1515/9783... and..

Come and join the team! Opportunity to get fantastic experience and be part of a world top 100 University! 🎉

Come and join us for a year in Leeds as my Deputy School Manager! @lcsleeds.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social Exciting opportunity to join a thriving School, one of the largest in the University, & gain excellent experience with amazing bunch of colleagues! jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

Over 60 medieval manuscript fragments from St John's Library's collection have been uploaded to Digital Bodleian 🥳 These medieval fragments were removed from college library books and are now known collectively as MS 235. You can view them here: digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/partners/st-... (a 🧵)

Australia can’t withstand further cuts to the humanities. Civil society depends on it. humanities.org.au/news/austral...

It's been almost a month since the National Endowment for the Humanities laid off nearly two-thirds of its staff. Will our loss even be felt? How is this being felt throughout the federal system? What will happen to the #humanities without these dedicated civil servants? #NEH @slate.com

Our next session features three papers that focus on another one of Johanna's passions: ensuring that all voices, especially marginalised ones, had a place at the table and within wider scholarship