About Language Lab

“Keeping the conversation going”

The Language Lab Podcast is a home for honest and enjoyable conversations about language teaching in the UK. Hosted by Will Marks, the podcast brings together teachers, researchers, linguists and leaders to explore what works in the classroom, what inspires learners and what keeps teachers going when things get messy. Each episode mixes practical ideas with wider reflections on policy, culture, creativity and the realities of everyday school life. The aim is to make languages feel relevant and connected, and to show that our classrooms sit within a much bigger story about community and identity. The tone is warm, curious and slightly tongue in cheek, because education is serious work but it does not always need to sound serious. The podcast highlights voices from every part of the sector, from early career teachers finding their footing to well known figures who help shape national conversations. All of them bring something that can spark a new idea or simply remind listeners why languages matter. If you want fresh thinking, reassurance, or just the sense of being part of a wider community of people who care about languages, this is your place. At its heart, the podcast believes one simple thing: languages grow when we listen to each other and share what we know.

Meet the Host

Will Marks is a French and Spanish teacher and the host of The Language Lab Podcast. He cares about helping pupils feel confident with languages and believes that good teaching comes from clarity, consistency and a sense of shared purpose. Will has taught across key stages and has spent his career building resources and approaches that make language learning feel manageable and meaningful for both pupils and teachers. He enjoys finding practical ways to bring languages out of the classroom and into the wider life of a school. Through The Language Lab Podcast, Will speaks with teachers, researchers and leaders from across the UK about the realities of language education. The conversations focus on what helps, what gets in the way and how schools can build stronger communities around languages. At the heart of his work is a simple idea. Language learning grows when people talk to each other and share what they know.