About Us
Welcome to the National Association of Language Advisers, a dynamic hub for language professionals across the United Kingdom. As a long-established association, we are committed to providing expert advice, support, training, and inspection in the languages field. Our independence is our strength, allowing us to collaborate closely with a variety of specialist agencies and organisations.
Meet The Team
Posts run from the July AGM and are updated accordingly.
President (2024 - 2027)
Yvonne Kennedy
Chair (2023-2025)
Beverley Whiteside
Secretary (2023-2025)
Mike Rauh
Mike has been an MFL teacher since 1984, working in 4 secondary schools in Sandwell, including 8 years as Head of Languages and then 10 years as an AST. He was one of 40 National Trainers for Primary Languages and presented at regional and national Primary Languages meetings and conferences. Mike was also a member of the DCSF Steering Group behind the three year “Language Learning at Key Stage 2 - Longitudinal Study”, published in 2010. He joined NALA in 2014 and was co-opted onto the Executive in 2015 to join the Conference Team. He has been Secretary since 2019.
Treasurer (2023-2025)
Alison Taylor
Alison worked as an ML teacher and Head of Department in Bristol and Cambridgeshire before becoming an Advisory Teacher for Wiltshire in 1991. She later set up the UK-wide ‘Free Spirit’ poetry and song competition, which ran for fifteen years with support from the National Agencies. She then became a teacher educator at the University of the West of England, working with secondary and primary teachers. More recently, she co-authored ‘The Really Useful Primary Languages Book’ (2017) and “Teaching Literature in the A level Modern Languages Classroom’ (2020). A longstanding NALA member, she joined the Conference team in 2015 and has been Treasurer since 2023.
Communications Officer (2024 - 2025)
Marie O’Sullivan
Marie began her career in education as a language teacher, before moving to her local education authority as Key Stage 3 Foundation Subjects Consultant. She has also been Director of Language College (remember those?!) and MFL network facilitator and trainer. She has been a NALA member since 2002.
