Here at Lingotot, we were very proud to be working with Tyneside Cinema on their exciting Crossing Cultures event. The cinema screened some of the finest French, German and Spanish films suitable for primary school pupils.

During the week-long event, Lingotot provided engaging language activities alongside exclusive foreign film screenings for Key Stage 1 and 2 children, and provided a FREE follow-up assembly or classroom session for each primary school taking part.

We also prepared some resources for schools to use in class to follow up the sessions. Schools were given a password at the film screening and details of where to find the resources.

We had a brilliant time - you can see that in the pictures! We'd love to do it again next year, hope to see you there!

We were delighted to be finalists in the North East Business Awards 2013 #northeastbusinessawards. We were finalists in a massive TWO categories: Newcomer of the Year and Small Business of the Year. We had an awesome night and we'd like to thank the organisers and congratulate the winners. You can read more about the night and the winners here. We're particularly proud of Derwentside Homes, a fellow Stanley-based company.

The Newcomer of the Year award was judged on the following criteria so we are delighted to have made it through to the final!

• The company’s business plan and indications of how it has been pursued so far.
• What differentiates the company’s products/services from their competitors?
• Managerial and financial performance, with evidence.
• The background of the directors.
• Notable achievements to date.
• Potential for growth.
• Evidence of commitment and imagination in the product or service.

The Small Business of the Year category was also very challenging and the judges loved Lingotot and how far we'd come so quickly.

• What has made the difference between success and failure for the company?
• What differentiates the company’s products/services from their competitors?
• Managerial and financial performance.
• Potential for growth.
• Evidence of commitment and imagination in the product or service.

We've all got huge grins here at Lingotot HQ this morning!

Lingotot has been shortlisted in an impressive TWO categories for the Durham & Wearside heat of the North East Business Awards 2013, the biggest business awards in the North East of England! We are delighted to be finalists Small Business of The Year AND Newcomer of the Year categories.

The shortlist for each category consists of 3 companies, of which Lingotot is one. The winner will be crowned at the Durham & Wearside Business Awards on Thursday 7 March 2013 at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland.

The awards are organised by the Evening Gazette and The Journal in association with the North East Chamber of Commerce. NECC chief executive, James Ramsbotham, said: “We have an enormously successful business community that has achieved so much this year. The North-east Business Awards provide the perfect stage on which to recognise the ground-breaking work by companies across the region."

We are incredibly proud to have been shortlisted and are very much looking forward to the ceremony. Wish us luck!

Keeping the kids entertained over the summer holidays can be difficult. Many parents also like to make sure they do some educational activities too. Many more worry about the cost of such activities. Well, here at Lingotot we've devised a FREE week-long online craft club for kids. Each and every day of week beginning 13th August we will be posting a new French video online which demos a simple craft activity 100% in French for the children to watch, understand and copy - imagine Blue Peter in French! We will also sneak in some songs ;)

We really hope you enjoy doing the simple crafts together and please please send us your photographs of your finished masterpieces, or even short videos of you completing the lovely little tasks. You can email them to us or upload them to our Facebook page.

To access the videos, simply click here or find the link on our homepage. Please share with all of your friends!

Happy crafting!

PS Don't forget to sign up for your new term of classes now to secure your place

Our very own Angela Sterling, Lingotot founder, was in the press this week talking about Michael Gove's plans to make languages compulsory in English primary schools. Speaking to The Journal this week she did of course welcome the plans, but here at Lingotot we think that languages should be made compulsory at an earlier age than the proposed 7 years old.....our little children pick up the language effortlessly and much like they learn their own mother tongue.

Angela also worries about the lack of funding for the scheme, "Primary school teachers do a fantastic job. However, the majority of them are not language specialists and cannot speak the language fluently. “Schools will need extra funding to train their own teachers or bring in specialist providers, like Lingotot, to fill the skills gap."