Love Languages Competition 2025

Love Languages Competition 2025: A Celebration of Food, Drink, and Linguistic Talent

The 14th annual Love Languages Competition embraced the exciting theme of Food and Drink. Founded by Mrs. Hankin, this year’s event was especially meaningful as her last before retirement. She welcomed participants and announced the addition of two new schools, bringing the total to 11.

Year 5 and 6 pupils competed from Pennthorpe, West Green, and St David’s Schools, while Years 7 and 8 were represented by Notre Dame, Reading Blue Coat, Surbiton High, Tiffin, Manor House, Norland Place, Nonsuch, and our own City of London Freemen’s School.

Students wowed the judges with skits, songs, and dramatic interpretations, showcasing impressive linguistic skills and cultural appreciation. St David’s won the Year 5 and 6 category, with Norland Place as runners-up. Manor House claimed 7 and 8, with Freemen’s in second place.

To honour Mrs. Hankin’s dedication, the newly introduced Hankin Cup was awarded to her favourite performance - Nonsuch School.

Expert Judges and a Special Guest

The judging panel featured two esteemed linguists:

• Mr. Jim Davis, a French and German graduate from Manchester University, a member of the Linguistics Institute, and a former bank manager in Germany, France, and Austria. He now teaches French and German privately.
• Mrs. Anne Boyd, who studied German and Russian before working in Paris. She later earned an Open University degree in French and Spanish and is passionate about inspiring young language learners.

Special guest Guy Chisenhale-Marsh, Master of the Grocer’s Company, set the perfect tone for the day with his opening address, highlighting the deep connection between food and culture. He shared his personal journey with languages and spoke about how learning languages at school opened unexpected doors, including a two-year stint working in a Parisian bistro—all because he spoke French! He emphasised how languages boost cognitive development, broaden career prospects, and create connections with global cultures through food, music, and traditions.

A Strong Commitment to Languages at Freemen’s

At Freemen’s, we believe in fostering a love for languages from an early age. Our students study at least one modern foreign language, with a focus on building confidence and enjoyment.

• In Key Stage 2, our innovative Passport to the World curriculum introduces students to a wide range of languages beyond French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin Chinese. Pupils also explore Arabic, Italian, British Sign Language (BSL), and Japanese.
• In Key Stage 3, students can choose from French, German, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish, keeping their linguistic options open for the future.

The Love Languages Competition 2025 was a wonderful celebration of multilingual talent, creativity, and cultural appreciation. We are incredibly proud of all the students who took part and look forward to next year’s event!