Children’s University Secondary

Who is it for?

• North East secondary schools in Northumberland, Newcastle, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Gateshead and Durham.
• Children in Years 7-11 (11-16 year olds).
• No prior language knowledge is required to take part. The webinar will be held in English.

When will it happen?

• The secondary schools’ session will be online on Teams from 13.00- 13.45 on Monday 16th March 2026
• Please ensure you join the session early as it will start at 13.00 prompt.
• A recording of the session will be made available after the lesson to registered schools (attending live or who cannot attend, but have registered)

What is the activity?

This Children’s University secondary session has been developed by Durham University. The session will be led by Sam Bootle, Associate Professor in French at Durham University.

Nineteenth Century French Bodies

In this session we’ll be thinking about how perceptions of the body have changed since the nineteenth century. We’ll look at how the body was represented in French literature and art, and we’ll discuss topics such as war and work, sickness and health, and men and women.

This special session will also allow pupils to gain insights into research in the humanities and studying Modern Foreign Languages at university and how languages open doors to new worlds and exciting opportunities.

The session will last around 45 minutes and will be scheduled as follows:

• 10–15 minutes lecture
• 15 minutes of activities linked to the lecture
• 15 minutes for a summary and questions from pupils

The online session will be hosted on Teams by Durham University. Cameras and microphones will be turned off during the sessions, but teachers can submit any questions in the chat.

The session will be recorded. The recording will be sent after the sessions to teachers who attended, as well as those who registered but could not attend.

How do I get involved?

Register by emailing info@expressyourselfne.com and please provide all of the following information:

• the title of the activity (Children’s University Secondary)
• your school name and address
• teacher contact name and email
• how many pupils you expect to be involved and their ages
• Please state whether you will attend the live session (you will automatically receive recordings) or cannot attend live and want to access the recordings afterwards

For those home-schooling, please register for these lessons through your designated school.

Joining instructions and the link will be emailed in advance (in early February) to all who register for the live sessions.

The session can be accessed from the classroom or remotely from home. Attendees do not share screens or access cameras or microphones.

The link to the recording will be emailed to those who have registered, even if they were not able to attend live.

Further information and links

• Durham School of Modern Languages and Cultures supports learning in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and the Centre for Foreign Language Study. The School also hosts the BA in Visual Arts and Film. Our community of academics, teachers and support staff aim to foster a world-class student experience in all our disciplines.
• The Centre for Foreign Language Study offers learners not taking a specialist degree in Modern Languages, including students, staff and members of the public, the opportunity to learn a range of languages from beginners to more advanced levels.
• The Helen Sharp Undergraduate Scholarship in Modern Languages is a scholarship to offer to a talented student from a low-income background.

Who is organising this?

This event is being organised by Durham University’s School of Modern Languages and Cultures and The Centre for Foreign Language Study as part of Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages 2026.

• Contact: Laura Lewis, Centre for Foreign Language Studies
• Email: laura.h.wichmann@durham.ac.uk