German Week
19 – 24 January 2026

After the resounding success of last year’s inaugural edition, German Week returns in 2026 with renewed energy and fresh inspiration.
From 19 to 24 January 2026, the Goethe-Institut UK, the German Embassy in London, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) once again invite schools across the UK to take part in a week-long celebration of the German language and culture.
Let’s come together once more to celebrate the joy of learning German, wherever you are in the UK!

A group of students and staff at the Goethe-Institut © Goethe-Institut /Jayne Lloyd

With German Week, our mission is to make the learning of German more visible, vibrant, and engaging in schools. We aim to spark curiosity for languages among young learners and highlight the unique value of multilingualism in today’s interconnected world.
German Week is a chance for schools across the United Kingdom to celebrate a modern and multifaceted Germany, to present pupils with a fresh, diverse, and contemporary image of the country, and to challenge the often-repeated and outdated clichés. It’s therefore an opportunity to explore the idea of culture as something dynamic and plural, rather than fixed or uniform for the 84 million inhabitants of one same country.

What can you expect during German Week?
We’re excited to provide a wide range of creative and educational resources, as well as online and in-person events to help schools bring German to life in their classrooms:

German Club Kit
Culture Day & Language Taster Session
Virtual music workshops with MUNICH SUPERCREW
Invite a Young Goethe Ambassador or German Expert Mentor (GEM) directly in your classroom

New for 2026:

German Theatre Festival in London for Years 9–13 in collaboration with St Paul’s School
German Study Day in partnership with the British Film Institute (BFI)

And many more opportunities to come in the next few months!

Social Media Toolkit

In order to support your participation in our Social Media Campaign, we have put together a Social Media Toolkit, which you can find below, along with the recording of our webinar where we share practical tips on how to showcase your school’s involvement in German Week across social media. Our aim is to co‑create a shared virtual presence for German Week and use this opportunity to jointly raise awareness for learning German and for language learning as a whole.

Social Media Toolkit(PDF, 5 MB)

Get ready for German Week with our 30-Day Journal!

Specially designed for secondary school pupils, this creative journal offers daily activities to explore German language and culture in a fun and engaging way. Every school that applies can receive free copies by post—just complete the application form!

30 Tage Deutsch mit :)(PDF, 11 MB)

Look back at German Week 2025

German Week 2025

Shout out for German @Goethe-Institut/Axel Scheffler

Participating schools

Special thanks go to all schools that have already registered for German Week 2026!

Join the fun!

Step 1: Please fill in the interest form below indicating how you would like to take part in our German Week 2026.

Interest form

Step 2: Browse our offers below. If you want to book, click on the sign-up page(s) below and register for the activities/book resource kits via the individual booking forms. If you want to book several activities (e.g. a Young Goethe Ambassador at your school, theater festival etc...), you will have to fill out a booking form for each activity. You will find respective booking forms or email adresses in the initiative's web pages.
Step 3: Post the results of your participation during German Week on the social networks of your choice, tagging the German Embassy UK, the Goethe-Institut UK and using the #ShoutOutForGerman and #Gimagine hashtags . Posts can range from short videos to pictures to infographics or anything else you can think of.  (Photos and videos with or without children's faces according to your pupil’s image and video consent)

By following these three steps, you will be eligible to win small goodies (pens, postcards, badges etc.) for your students in our German Week lottery.

for Primary Schools

Resource

Language Taster Session

Our German taster sessions offer a first glimpse of the German language and can be run by language teachers or teachers with intermediate/advanced knowledge of the language. The taster session contains a Powerpoint presentation, Teacher’s Lesson plan and worksheets. Depending on availability, our GEMs can help you organise a taster session during this week.

© Blue Forest Photography © Blue Forest Photography
Resource

Culture Days

Host a culture and language celebration with our free culture day package. Each resource is accompanied by a detailed teacher guide and further ideas and tips on creating a memorable, fun and creative language and culture celebration for the entire school community.

© Goethe-Institut © Goethe-Institut
Event at your school

Invite a Young Goethe Ambassador

Our Young Goethe Scheme offers primary and secondary school German teachers in the UK the opportunity to invite Young Goethe Ambassadors into their classrooms to motivate younger students to learn German. Confirmed availabilities for which you can already register:

- Northern Ireland: the whole week
- Southampton: the whole week

© Goethe-Institut London © Goethe-Institut London
Resource & Club materials

Create a German Club

Use the German Week as an opportunity to set up a German Club in your German class with our new resources and let your pupils discover the German language through the enchanting new main characters Wuschel and Miki, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, as well as other club formats. Comprehensive teaching materials are available for teachers, both German teachers, non-specialists and students interested in leading a club. Depending on availability, our Gem can help you organise a taster session during this week.

@Goethe-Institut London/Axel Scheffler @Goethe-Institut London/Axel Scheffler
Online Event

German Club Online: A Virtual Live Session Zoom

Join us on Zoom for an engaging online session designed for primary schools looking to start a German club. This session will provide children with a fun and interactive taste of the German language, based on our specially curated German Club Materials. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to introduce your students to the joys of learning German in a lively and supportive online environment!
When?
22. January from 09:30-10:15.

© Goethe-Institut © Goethe-Institut

for Secondary Schools

Event at the Goethe-Institut London and St Paul´ s School London

Theaterfestival German Week

As part of German Week, the Goethe-Institut London and St Paul’s School are delighted to host a vibrant Theatre Festival showcasing the creativity of students from Years 9–13.

@Goethe-Institut/Olad Aden @Goethe-Institut/Olad Aden
Tues, 20.01.2026 | 12:00AM–12:45AM

Business Lunch: German and a career in Finance and Management

In a live online conversation on Tuesday, 20th January, Philip Dodds (former Managing Director, Head of Senior Relationship Management, Europe, at UBS Investment Bank (Global Markets) will speak to the Goethe-Institut about his career and experiences with learning German.

Philip Dodds Philip Dodds
Delivered in partnership with BFI

KS4 German Study Day

We’re excited to partner with the BFI on a new interactive German Study Day exploring diversity and identity through film. Supporting AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas GCSE specs, the event builds cultural understanding and language skills. Students will engage with German short films and activities to develop critical analysis and discussion in the target language, followed by an introduced screening of a German feature film in the afternoon.
Event at your school

Invite a Young Goethe Ambassador

Our Young Goethe Scheme offers primary and secondary school German teachers in the UK the opportunity to invite Young Goethe Ambassadors into their classrooms to motivate younger students to learn German. Confirmed availabilities for which you can already register:

- Northern Ireland: the whole week
- Southampton: the whole week

© Goethe-Institut London © Goethe-Institut London
Resource & Club materials

Create a German Club

Use the German Week as an opportunity to set up a German Club in your German class with our new resources and let your pupils discover the German language through the enchanting new main characters Wuschel and Miki, illustrated by Axel Scheffler, as well as other club formats. Comprehensive teaching materials are available for teachers, both German teachers, non-specialists and students interested in leading a club. Depending on availability, our Gem can help you organise a taster session during this week.

© Jayne Lloyd © Jayne Lloyd
Resource

Language Taster Session

Our German taster sessions offer a first glimpse of the German language and can be run by language teachers or teachers with intermediate/advanced knowledge of the language. The taster session contains a Powerpoint presentation, Teacher’s Lesson plan and worksheets. Depending on availability, our GEMs can help you organise a taster session during this week.

© Jayne Lloyd © Jayne Lloyd
Resource

Culture Days

Host a culture and language celebration with our free culture day package. Each resource is accompanied by a detailed teacher guide and further ideas and tips on creating a memorable, fun and creative language and culture celebration for the entire school community.

© Goethe-Institut © Goethe-Institut
Event at your school / Resource

Host a travelling exhibition

Do you want to bring topics to life in your German classroom? Then choose between “Berlin – Capital of Women Scientists” or “Komplett Kafka” and borrow one of our poster exhibitions free of charge! The teaching material is suitable for all language levels and can also be used independently from the exhibition.

© Senatskanzlei Berlin © Senatskanzlei Berlin