THS students crowned Regional Champions in prestigious National Language Competition
Thursday 11 December 2025 | By Erin McKeownTHS students have been crowned Regional Champions in a prestigious National Language Competition led by the UK’s intelligence, security and cyber agency, GCHQ.
Year 9 pupils Imabasi, Archer and Abigail were named the top team in the North East and placed an outstanding 4th place nationally – out of over 3,000 teams.
National Language Competition
The GCHQ National Language Competition (NLC) is a virtual competition for teams of 13-14 year olds from around the UK to compete against each other to solve language-based challenges and score points.
This is an incredible achievement for the team and caps off an exceptional term for our THS linguists.
Mrs Helena Butterfield, Head of MFL at Teesside High School, said: “We are proud to offer a range of opportunities for our students to contextualise their language learning. Our role is to not only ensure our students excel in the languages we offer, but to demonstrate how language learning can propel them and set them apart in their future careers.
“Imabasi, Archer and Abigail shone in this national competition and we are delighted their linguistic talents have been recognised at a national level.”
It has been a busy few weeks in the MFL department. Senior School students have taken part in online seminars and workshops, celebrated International Week, visited the Institut Français – an organisation which promotes French language and culture in the UK and welcomed the directors of German from both Cambridge University and Durham University for a morning of linguistic and cultural discovery.
Students are also looking forward to their 2026 trip to Paris, where they will visit a number of famous sights, experience the culture of Paris and of course, practise their French language skills. There are plans for a festive trip to Germany, too – watch this space!
