Impact case study database

Storming Utopia is a research-based knowledge exchange theatre project, and an ongoing experiment in diversity, creativity, and community. At its core is a new community play – a mash-up of themes and stories from the early modern period with life experiences of inhabitants of (post-)Brexit Oxford – written by Williams in collaboration with a diverse, multigenerational cast and crew of over thirty people. Performed, adapted, and translated a number of times, this exercise in practical utopianism generated after-show discussions, films, poems, stories, design projects and teaching practice in schools and other institutions including universities in the UK, Europe, and the US.

Co-produced a new play in partnership with diverse East Oxford community participants empowering them to explore timely research and social questions

Williams worked with Pegasus Theatre’s Heads of both Creative Learning and Design and over 100 community members aged 7–75 (including schoolchildren and primary and secondary teachers, professional theatre-makers, and amateur dramatic groups) who responded to invitations in local press and on social media to create a new play. The project engaged a wide range of stakeholders, designing and building the set for versions performed in the UK and Venice. With Williams and Pegasus Theatre’s Creative Learning and Design Heads, participants took ownership of and significantly shaped the play, based on their exploration of key research questions: what are the rules governing ideal societies and the laws governing Oxford; what makes somewhere an island; how do you know you belong, and how do know you don’t?

Most participants, like successive generations of Oxford immigrants, were based in OX4. Outside the old city of Oxford walls, this post code area includes the large post-war council estates of Blackbird Leys and Wood Farm, and a significant concentration of social and educational deprivation. The research questions’ contemporary resonance became increasingly clear. Pegasus Theatre CEO explains: ‘Young people considered what in their city contributes to their well-being and happiness, and what made them feel dis-empowered or excluded. From these ideas they explored other societies around the world, now and historically, and better understood contemporary political and cultural issues.’ [S1]

Storming Utopia engaged participants in reflecting on how literature can be used to think politically, providing more complex understanding of the at once colonial and internal history of Europe as a political and cultural idea. Participants under 18 felt the show provided them with a stronger lived sense of the power of theatre-making. Isabel, 16, noted, “The project was sort of an opportunity for younger voices to be heard. I think I was changed by talking about the future of the country and the past of the country and getting a sort of better understanding of where Britain had come from and where it was going” [S3].

Provided a space of encounter and exchange for people from a range of backgrounds and ages

The experimental research process that went into making the play assembled a diverse, multigenerational group; it resulted in a changed sense of Oxford in relation to migration, diversity, and the value of collective creative work. The CEO of Pegasus Theatre commented: “This project embodied perfectly the principle of creative exchange between cultures, classes, generations, professional artists and non-professionals. It gave young people and arts professionals from Pegasus access to places and ideas in Oxford they might not normally access and did the same with Oxford academics and wider audiences.” [S1].

Storming Utopia has been performed, with after-show discussions, at four Oxford venues including as a gala opener of the Oxford Festival of the Arts—a prized ‘platform’ within Oxford’s cultural economy) [S4a]. More than 1,600 people (from 9 to 65+) attended these performances and other project activities which shaped and informed attitudes. The Oxford Culture Review highlighted the project after the Ashmolean Live Friday, “…actors hid themselves amongst the audience before emerging to deliver their lines, much to the crowd’s unwitting delight” [S5].

The space of encounter built bridges across Oxford’s political geography and proved transformative for the cast who enjoyed: “Getting to know different people and their ideas about complex issues and the very comfortable, safe and encouraging environment in which this was done” [S2]; “It opened up new ways of looking at places I’d seen many times before: ‘my’ Caribbean archipelago, the Oxford Archipelago, physical islands and imagined islands.” [S4c]; “Working inter-generationally with people from different backgrounds and lives.” [S2].

Amongst the participants, a recently married couple hoped to find an opportunity for the wife to learn English creatively; she did and gained the confidence to apply for–and secure–a job. The husband’s story of childhood migration through warzones leading to what he imagined as the Utopia of Oxford became central to the show as it developed. The couple’s intense engagement with the group taught performers and audiences about racism, aggression towards others, and also solidarity and community within their city. [S6]

Storming Utopia provided a space for exploration for younger members: a ‘school refuser’ could explain their choices, while experiencing what it means to work collectively in community; another developed their ‘voice’ through writing exercises and is now a published poet; another is studying drama at university and has worked as a tutor/mentor on the National Youth Theatre Summer School. [S2, S6] Life experiences integrated into the play as first-person narrative, or through the shape given to characters like Caliban or Miranda made striking sense of experiences of confession and disavowal, misrecognition and compassion. This proved the pertinence of the project’s hypothesis: the continuing contemporary force of the power of the imagination embodied in early modern Utopian thinking.

Influenced pedagogical and theatrical practice and engagement (inter)nationally.

The project model has been adopted in Europe and a partnership for capacity building established in North America. After Oxford, the play was performed on an island in Venice in a dual-language version accompanied by a film made with a local primary school on related themes of utopia, diversity, and island-living. Approximately 250 people attended the performance and engaged in a lively post-show debate. [S7]

The model provided a self-reflexive space to create social agency through the history of utopian thinking and the utopian project of theatre-making, offering a framework for training, capacity building, and professional development for those seeking to engage community partners with Humanities research. The director of a collaborative partnership with Ontario’s Shakespeare Festival wrote: ‘I just had a quick visit to your Storming Utopia site. What you’ve done and what you are doing is wonderful and exciting. I think there is a great deal in your project that we have to learn from and many possible lines of connection.’ [S10]

Outreach also extended into primary education. Williams collaborated with East Oxford Primary School (EOPS) and ran discussion workshops with students and staff. EOPS’ Head Teacher notes that Storming Utopia connected staff and students by providing an inclusive space of cultural encounter and linguistic exchange. ‘Two short films emerged from these discussions. The pupils and TAs involved benefitted both by exploring ideas alongside professors and students from Oxford University and by gaining confidence in having their own lives and languages represented on film.’ [S9] The feelings of representation and inclusion fostered by Storming Utopia empowered students to engage in open dialogue with each other and with the community at large. ‘A number of [EOPS] pupils…took part in [an] event at the Ashmolean, where they could see their faces on screen, hear their stories being shared with different communities in Oxford, and talk confidently to [each] other about what it means to contribute to creative work in a university and a museum.’ [S8]

Shaped public understanding and professional policy on good practice in gynaecology, pregnancy and childbirth

Worth-Stylianou’s research focuses on the significance, from 1500 to the present, of clear written publications and sympathetic, nuanced oral communications between healthcare professionals and users. Drawing on her research, she assesses their contribution to contemporary public understanding of good practice in pregnancy and childbirth. This is evidenced by her contributions as a lay member of the Women’s Voices panel of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) where she:

• Mediated medical information for lay readers in contributions to the RCOG’s patient information leaflet ‘A Breech Baby at the End of Pregnancy’ (2017—subsequently recorded as a podcast; 2045 listeners). [S1]

• Mediated the presentation of complex medical information addressed to both medically-trained and other parties as one of two invited lay members of the team reviewing RCOG benign gynaecological indicators for UK hospitals (2015-16). The final report informs quality improvement initiatives and enables comparative benchmarking of gynaecological services in NHS Hospitals in England. [S2]

• Was one of 25 lay members selected to contribute to the syllabus review, ‘Training Specialists of the Future’, which underpinned the new RCOG Curriculum (launched 2019). Worth-Stylianou’s contributions at the foundational stage emphasised the importance of shared information between patients and healthcare professionals; support for professionals through traumatic incidents; and the use of sensitive language in the birthing room to respect the diversity of family groupings [S3]. On the syllabus’s launch, the Head of Patient Engagement recognised the importance of ensuring that the new framework guarantees specialists of tomorrow have non-technical skills, alongside the technical skills and knowledge to deliver high quality care: ‘Many of the themes that emerged through engagement with the public were around the importance of these non-technical skills. Skills around communication; developing equal, trusting partnerships with patients; and the ability to provide tailored care and support so patients feel well informed and in control of their decision making.’ [S3]

Strengthened reflective performance of practitioners in delivery of professional services

In collaboration with the RCOG, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) and De Partu, Worth-Stylianou developed an exhibition in the RCOG’S Learning Centre and a display in the joint RCOG-RCM Library. Comments by midwives after the seminar held to mark the opening of the exhibition included 'Being addressed by academics, the CEO of the RCOG, and the Director of Midwifery, RCM, really made me feel valued as a professional.' The 2015-2017 exhibition contextualised materials from the College’s archives, investigating the controversies and challenges of transposing medical knowledge to a new, sometimes transnational cultural setting. The exhibition’s digital version attracted 525 views in the first 6 weeks [S4], and several hundred copies of the accompanying brochure were disseminated within twelve months [S5]. A former RCOG and RCM Archivist commented: ‘ *The posters and booklets helped… [with] engaging visitors who may not otherwise set foot in the library. [… Worth-Stylianou’s work] inspired further displays requested by the College President who had been impressed by the increased visibility of the library and heritage collections.*’ [S5]

200 Foundation Year 1 and 2 doctors attending a 2015 study day with Worth-Stylianou to decide whether to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology viewed the exhibition. A female health provider commented that the historical context enabled her to challenge assumptions about health professionals’ gender roles. Subsequent study days in London (2015) and Oxford (2016; 2018), for practitioners, archivists, and academics, initiated self-reflection among practitioners and midwifery tutors on history and current debates about: delayed cord-clamping; parent education for birth and early months; prioritization of post-natal care; and the human dynamics of successful teamwork in operating theatres. The RCM Professor of Midwifery noted: ‘the project was especially beneficial for student and newly qualified midwives and subsequent discussions indicated that participants were able to draw on historical perspectives to better understand contemporary challenges’ [S6]. Healthcare professionals recognised the impact on their understanding: ‘ each presentation gave us a different way of looking at these topics’ [S7]. A Professor of Perinatal Education commented: ‘ The dialogue between academic researchers and practitioners enabled by these study-days and by the exhibitions modelled a means of linking theory and practice essential for shaping maternity services that best serve the needs of women.’ [S8]Contribution to continuing personal and professional development

Day conferences on Pregnancy and Birth, and Worth-Stylianou’s presentations for over 100 student midwives (2018) at Oxford Brookes and some 30 Oxfordshire research midwives (2019), reached audiences, including practitioners, educators and educational publishers. They empowered attendees to develop their own competences as self-reflective practitioners and embed this in their professional settings. The 2018 study day, attended by midwives, publishers and historians, specifically reflected Worth-Stylianou’s expertise in the history and transnational circulation of midwifery textbooks. Uniquely, it brought medical educational publishers (including the Senior Content Strategist, Nursing and Midwifery, Elsevier) into dialogue with midwifery tutors, midwives and historians, in particular exploring how two best-selling textbooks–Mayes and Myles–might be merged [S9]. The research forum ‘ *has benefitted my work as an editor for the next edition of Mayes Midwifery, one of the leading midwifery textbooks in the UK. This already has a large historical chapter included, and [the revised edition] will be informed by this [workshop]*’ (midwifery educator and author) [S9].

Worth-Stylianou has addressed research events for midwives from student status to advanced research midwives. At the 2018 Oxford Brookes conference, attended by over 100 students, tutors and other specialists, Worth-Stylianou gave the first talk, setting the theme–‘The team around the [birthing] woman’–in its historical and transnational context, and proposing subjects for debate, which speakers and delegates used to reflect on their own approaches. The organising Senior Midwifery Lecturer at Oxford Brookes notes that Worth-Stylianou’s ‘ talks have been instrumental in helping students situate midwifery care historically and [to] understand how it has been shaped by prevailing cultures and social conventions. Valerie’s knowledge and enthusiasm have helped inspire students to think about how midwifery care can be developed.’ [S10] In 2019 at the 7^th ‘Colloque de la Société de la Naissance’ (Bordeaux), Worth-Stylianou’s opening keynote (attended by some 70 French practitioners) examined the history of the sense of smell in midwifery, and enabled comparisons with present-day deliveries. Midwives attending commented that Worth-Stylianou’s historical research was particularly valuable in validating their goal of patient-focused individual care, in which attention to all five senses is crucial. [S11]

‘Writing Brecht’ (2013–2019) opened up new forms of collaboration, generating 85 events including the Donmar Warehouse production of Arturo Ui (Kuhn advised cast and crew; April–June 2017: total audience 12,800), pre- and post-performance talks (Birmingham Rep, March 2014; National Theatre, June 2016; Donmar Warehouse, June 2017), school and teacher workshops, and radio programmes (BBC Radio 3’s ‘Sunday Features’ and ‘The Verb’; average: 53,000 live listeners). Through translations and engagement activities, Kuhn enhanced the use, accessibility and understanding of Brecht’s writings, inspiring new artistic works and reviving political discourse. Their contemporary resonance means Kuhn’s Brecht translations reach widely across media and contexts, and have been quoted e.g. in ecological and historical publications, in a brochure of the new Humboldt Forum (Berlin), a celebration of the International Brigades, a concert of cabaret songs, and a study of Canadian men’s health [S1]. Following the 2019 UK election, the editor of AndOtherStories shared one of Kuhn’s translations with subscribers, because ‘it expresses the ambiguity of our ability as individuals to change everything and nothing’. He also acknowledged ‘More than fifty people got back to me to say… the poem had spoken to them and given them hope’ [S1.ii].

Kuhn’s work has increased performer and audience understanding of Brecht’s contemporary resonances. For the Head of the Brecht Archive (Berlin), Kuhn’s activities ‘have reached beyond the world of literature, theatre, philosophy, and politics insofar as they refer to culture, applied geography, society, and communication between people and countries’ [S2]. Reaching large audiences in-person (200 at the Goethe Institute in October 2019 **[S4]**) and online (talk on Arturo Ui over 4,200 views in October 2013 [S6]; interview with Tony Kushner (1,850 in June 2016) [S5], Kuhn’s translations have enabled English-speaking publics to access, understand and participate in discussions of Brecht.

Partnered with creative practitioners and charities to enhance self-confidence and agency among the vulnerably housed

Kuhn’s work has profoundly benefitted those on the margins who are not normally given a voice. His collaboration with homelessness charity Crisis Skylight in 2018 enabled people with lived experience of homelessness to create a performance piece in response to Brecht’s poetry. Workshops delivered by Kuhn and the Sphinx Theatre Company for Crisis clients resulted in attendees composing poetry and revealed the contemporary relevance of previously untranslated poems. The process culminated in two live public performances, with the first half created and performed by Crisis Skylight members, followed by a Sphinx Theatre Cabaret show inspired by Brecht and his contemporaries.

Having their creative responses published (by Hurst St Press) proved a significant step for participants. Crisis Skylight’s Arts Coordinator explains that the project was pivotal for Client A, ‘now employed by Arts at the Old Fire Station’ and ‘working on his own poetry with a view to creating a live performance to be tested at our bi-annual Theatre Scratch Night [S7]. Also ‘now securely housed’, Client D ‘is currently discussing a possible collaboration with a local theatre company, where he would produce a script for performance through a collaborative devising process’ [S7]. Client M, ‘now stably housed’, has assisted ‘in the planning and delivering of workshops at Marmalade […] an inclusive platform for social change’ [S7]. The Arts Coordinator reports that ‘participants have continued to enjoy artistic work and develop their practice following the project’, having ‘gained a genuine enthusiasm for and enjoyment of Brecht’s work specifically and poetry more widely’ [S7].

Impacts on practitioners and delivery of professional services: enhanced performance and ethical practice

The collaborative nature of Brecht’s writing revealed in Kuhn’s research has influenced theatre professionals and organisations in their working methods and shaped best practice. The Arts Coordinator at Crisis Skylight, Kuhn’s partner in developing a performance piece, describes the effect of ‘Writing Brecht’ on her professional practice: ‘following on from editing the book and project-managing its publication, I have gone on to write, direct and perform a solo show. […] my success in these areas, and my confidence as a writer has certainly been informed by this practice. I found the project inspirational and that the experience of working with such eminent writers and academics, coupled with the success of the performance and publication, spurred me on to strive for excellence in my own work’ [S7].

A playwright who led workshops for the vulnerably housed in partnership with Crisis Skylight, states: ‘This project pushed me to interrogate my own research and writing practice and acutely informed our understanding and presentation of the period songs in our Sphinx Theatre Berlin Kabaret. […] the whole ‘Words as Weapons’ partnership gave me insight into best practice that I have now gone on to apply in these settings’ [S8]. Kuhn’s research collaboration allowed this playwright to apply his experience elsewhere: ‘As a direct result of the concept and partnerships involved within the Words as Weapons Brecht project I have gone on to use similar techniques and lead work in two more multi-partnership settings that have real social value outcomes’. The playwright developed and produced film projects with Cheshire Young Carers Charity and the West Cheshire Poverty Truth Commission [S8]. Kuhn’s project facilitated a deeper understanding for the playwright: ‘I’d been professionally engaged with Brecht for 40 years but this [poetry] is completely new territory for me, these poems I didn’t even know existed. The knowledge exchange between the professionals involved in theatre and academic world was quite extraordinary’ [S8].

Facilitated creative expression for people with disabilities

Kuhn’s publications on visual art in Brecht’s work established contact with graphic artists at the Akademie der Künste (Berlin), generating new visual art creations through collaborating with disabled artists working for skills training foundation Blumenfisch. Participants were presented with Brecht's poems in Kuhn's translation and freely chose content to convert into posters and postcards, exhibited in Berlin, Augsburg, Leipzig and Oxford [S9]. According to Blumenfisch’s Head of Communication, ‘Kuhn’s request to graphically translate Brecht poems was a stroke of luck for us. Our employees were able to become experts in a concrete, exciting topic […] to choose content that inspired them’ [S10]. She explains that ‘another crucial aspect of our collaboration was the feeling of appreciation. All designs were taken seriously. […] The finished posters and postcards were presented internationally and received positive feedback’ [S10].

The most popular poem – relatively unknown in German – was a tender love poem about ‘that not-to-be-forgotten night’ turned into contemporary art in its English form. Blumenfisch’s Head of Communication comments: ‘The designs were as different as the employees [themselves]. Each [individual] had their own access to the works and their own take on the topic and graphic language. The result was a surprisingly multi-faceted poster exhibition…’ [S10]. Participants commented that ‘Brecht’s time was incisive and fascinating’ and that ‘the Brecht project was one of the highlights [of working] in the department’ [S10]. Kuhn's skill in communicating his insights into Brecht's writing process empowered the whole group of vulnerable people to communicate their anxiety, hopes, and creativity to a wide audience – the Oxford exhibition attracted over 1,000 visitors from January-March 2019 [S3].

Papanikolaou’s research and public interventions on gender and sexual identity in Greece form part of an ongoing project which advocates an alternative cultural canon and proposes new ways to integrate literature and culture into debates on social justice, equal rights and a more democratic public sphere.

Reframed the literary and cultural canon

Papanikolaou’s book on Cavafy [R5] and its call for a new critical agenda was enthusiastically embraced by a younger generation of thinkers, educators, activists and cultural practitioners [S1.iv, S4]. Having provoked substantial media coverage and a heated debate [S1.v], it was praised for “contributing to a timely and politically significant dialogue on the relationship between knowledge / power and sexuality” [S1.i]. Nikos Vatopoulos, influential Greek journalist and cultural commentator, observed that “one can no longer return to Cavafy’s poetry without taking into account Papanikolaou’s […] complex, ‘political’, and dynamic reading” [S1.iii]. An artist and educator commented that “the fact that there exists an academic work to support and ceremoniously unveil all those things hidden for years is very important for us artists and educators, as it allows us to take up and continue this work” [S6]. Among many events organised on issues raised by the book are two on Cavafy and sexuality at the Onassis Cultural Centre (2014/2015) [S3.iii] which attracted 700+ audience members and over 14,000 online views, and book presentations (Athens, Thessaloniki, London, Oxford). Following this, Papanikolaou was invited to organize a very successful series of ‘public lessons on Cavafy’ (2016, Onassis Cultural Centre; 2017, Onassis Foundation), aimed at the general public.

Inspired creative practice and the expression of identity

Cultural practitioners have been inspired by Papanikolaou’s work on gender, kinship, sexuality and the public sphere. As a writer, educator and theatre practitioner stated, “it brings new openings for political and historical engagement” [S7.i].

Another theatre director remarked: “[Papanikolaou’s work] has helped me realize more generally my role as an artist who participates in a wider wave of contestation against Greek society’s established beliefs, and more specifically to rethink the ways in which a work of art can reach out to its audience” [S7.ii]. In April 2019, a group led by theatre educator and practitioner Anna Tzakou presented a site-specific performance framed as a comment on Papanikolaou’s There is Something About the Family [R6; S8] A performer commented: “[Papanikolaou’s work] introduced me to a new way of approaching cultural events […]; it offered me a new way of understanding and opening a dialogue with the other. The [book's] concept of ‘archive trouble’ liberated me, giving the necessary distance so that I could endure very difficult emotions” [S8.iii].

The Thessaloniki International Book Fair (2019) commissioned the performance However I, with four poets sharing work in direct dialogue with Papanikolaou’s book. The convener stated: “When I commissioned this event, I could not imagine either how powerful the artistic synergy it provoked would be, or that the audience would end up being so large, with dozens of people standing up when the 100 seats of the room filled up” [S3.ii]. Audience members questioned about their attendance indicated the importance and relevance of Papanikolaou’s book for crucial debates in contemporary Greek society. “It is rare for an academic book to have such a wide readership”, said one. Another called the performance “breath-taking”, underlining performers’ and audience’s deep affective reaction to the text. On a scale from 1 to 5, respondents strongly agreed (average: 4.9), that “the event contributed to the establishment of a more progressive culture in Greece regarding gender and sexuality” [S3.i].

Reviewers commended the social importance and wide reach of Papanikolaou’s most recent book: ‘Judging from the sheer number and quality of reviews and by the general interest that the book provoked […] it is obvious that it clearly rocked the boat and very diverse audiences responded to it. […] this is the right book at the right time’ [S2.i]. The book was repeatedly profiled in the media, including interviews with the author and an hour-long programme of excerpts on national radio [S2.iii].

In 2019, the Athens Film Archive invited Papanikolaou to curate a programme of public screenings of the films discussed in There is Something About the Family [R6]; the programme took over the title for ten public screenings and discussions (attendance >1,000), with its catalogue read in its print and electronic versions over 10,000 times [S9.i & ii]. Considerable ensuing media interest focused on how Papanikolaou’s work facilitates an understanding of new trends in Greek society [S9.iii & iv].

Stimulated debate in the public sphere and made a substantial contribution to socially progressive culture.

Papanikolaou's 40+ newspaper articles within the census period on current events and campaigns for social change were read on average 40,000 times in print/online, republished widely, shared and commented on by audiences ranging from interested citizens to educators and politicians: “he frames and shows the real dimensions of these issues magnificently” (Facebook comment) [S4].

In the parliamentary debate on the new partnership bill that recognised same gender couples for the first time (22 December 2015), an MP quoted Papanikolaou on the social implications [S5.i-iii], while the then Minister of Education started her speech arguing that addressing Cavafy's sexuality can change social attitudes, using terms proposed by Papanikolaou [S5.i, R5]. As she affirmed, Papanikolaou’s writings reached a very large audience “alerting them to the existence of systemic racism, homophobia and gender violence in Greek society. It is no understatement to say that I and many other colleagues have been influenced and inspired by his work” [S5.iv].

Papanikolaou’s public talks have been attended by 5,000+ people, and viewed over 55,000 times online [S3.iii-iv]. Invitations to speak at activist collectives and NGOs (Beaver, Kiouria, Positive Voice, Diotima) showed a similar reach. Responses highlighted these events as constituting a “very valuable encounter, a form of sharing and exchange” and a “way of ‘empowerment’, expanding on academic claims and questions, but also reaching out beyond academia” [S10.i].

Papanikolaou’s work contributes to community regeneration and development. Since 2019, he has worked closely with Positive Voice, the Association of People Living with HIV in Greece, to create a participatory ‘Public Archive of HIV/AIDS in Greece’. The partnership resulted in well-attended public meetings and seminars aimed at activists and volunteers on HIV/AIDS representations, memory and public archiving [S10.ii]. The president of the Association described how Papanikolaou’s work “made us rethink our attitude towards our own archive and public history”, while events organised with his support “have given us new energy to review the history of HIV/AIDS in Greece and to address the stigma that still exists in Greek society” [S10.iii].In May/July 2020, Papanikolaou was invited by feminist NGO Diotima to offer a seminar on “Archives, gender and displacement” aimed at staff working with migrants/refugees in Athens and Moria, Lesvos. In their feedback, they deemed it “absolutely necessary for our work and completely mind-blowing”, adding that “it gave us a boost and offered new ways to think our own archival practices” [S10.iv].

In 2019/2020, in collaboration with Athena Athanasiou and with support from Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung/Athens, Papanikolaou organized the public engagement project Queer Politics/ Public Memory with capacity audiences at all meetings (150+) and over 20,000 online views . It “attracted considerable and very positive mentions in the electronic and print press as well as on the radio” [S10] and culminated with the publication of an opensource electronic and print book, Queer Politics / Public Memory (ed. Papanikolaou et al). As the Director of Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung/Athens stated, “these events successfully continued the debate on homophobia, gender violence and necropolitics in the Greek public sphere, reaching as many people as possible and engaging non-specialist audiences in the broadest possible way”. The book was downloaded and/or read online “by more than 10,000 people in its first weeks of publication” [S10.v].

Heightened public awareness of German poetry, collaborating with publishers, festivals, arts organisations and broadcasters increasing access for new and diverse audiences.

Leeder has received high profile awards [A] and sat on the Board of numerous arts organisations, including the Stephen Spender Trust and Poetry Trust [B], and worked with 11 festivals since 2014 (including Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Reading) to increase coverage of German poetry, and engage new audiences [C]. She has judged 8 poetry / translation competitions (3 for young people) including with high-profile organizations (e.g. British Library; Poetry Society; Society of Authors; PEN) [D]. Leeder hosted Jan Wagner, the first non-English-speaking poet to deliver the prestigious annual Poetry Society Lecture. The Chair of the Poetry Society acknowledged her as ‘one of the great translators […] opening up our wider knowledge of German poetry’ (0:40-1:06) [E.2.i].

Leeder has appeared 17 times on BBC TV and radio during the period: e.g. Open Book, Free Thinking, BBC Proms, The Essay. Her research inspired Radio 3’s ‘The Verb’ (average: 53,000 live listeners), on ‘lateness’ (2017) and ‘German poetry since the fall of the Berlin wall’ (2019) [F]. The producer noted: ‘Her intimate experience of translation issues and her existing relationships with the poets […] meant the programme was richer for her involvement’ [E.1.c]. Leeder’s work on ‘Brecht and lateness’ inspired another producer to record public responses to a Brecht poem (‘The Pleasures of Brecht’, 2019) [F]. He commented: ‘The insights and interpretive ideas and notes on translation she offered […], as well as the descriptions of the historical and literary context […], provided the spine around which the radio feature could take shape’ [E.1.f].

Leeder’s involvement has heightened awareness of German poetry, in accessing new audiences and in the texts selected, performed and printed. The CEO of arts education charity Poet in the City comments: ‘Karen is a rare and invaluable asset to the public poetry world […] working with speakers such as Karen, who deliver inspiring contextual talks is a real opportunity to challenge barriers to poetry and create new audiences’ [E.2.b]. A representative of publisher Seagull Books emphasises ‘Leeder is one of the most dynamic of cultural mediators [….] instrumental in bringing key German authors to our publishing house […] and increasing our coverage of modern German literature’ [E.1.b].

Stimulated public interest in and engagement with modern German poetry

Through 8 translation and writing workshops (UK, Austria, Italy), Leeder has engaged with diverse audiences, from professional literary translators (chairing ‘German British Encounters’ for the Akademie der Künste and the Royal Literary Society in 2015) to school children and a non-German-speaking public (Free Verse Fair London, 2015) [C.5]. At a 2016 workshop led by Leeder and poet Ulrike Almut Sandig, a pupil commented: ‘The poems blew me away; it’s impossible to express the very profound effect the words, and the recitations themselves, had – and still have – on my consciousness’ [E.2.h]. A film of the event received 1016 views on YouTube and a participant commented: ‘You have this wonderful human presence there and you see her perform and you see her bring it all to life…amazing.”(1:40-1:49) [C.5.a]. Leeder received unsolicited feedback from a listener on ‘The Pleasures of Brecht’: ‘Your voice and your tenderness when speaking, touched me deeply. […] I have never written to anyone as a result of listening to them on the radio which gives you some indication of what impact, your voice, in particular, had on me. I shall look at life differently from now on.’ [E.2.a]

Since 2013, Leeder has given 31 public readings (Italy, Ireland, USA, Austria, Australia and Germany, including to 700 at the Akademie der Künste, Berlin; 1,200 in Hay), and prestigious venues in the UK (e.g. Richmix, Keats House, King’s Place); performed 2 live poetry duels (Cheltenham and Winchester festivals), participated in 5 poetry podcasts and appeared in 12 public roundtables [C.1-3]. A live-streamed event with Sandig for Oxford 'Big Tent! Live Events!' Online (2020), included performance, discussion and films: generating 656 views, and public comments: ‘fascinating discussion’, and ‘inspiring!’ [C.1.b]. Leeder’s session on ‘Poetry in Hidden Places’ with Sandig for Jaipur Literature Festival (October 2020) has already attracted 13,000 views [C.1.a].

Leeder’s expertise in engaging broad audiences has seen her invited to contribute to trade magazines, give public lectures (e.g. Aldeburgh Festival 2014), and introduce German poetry collections to Anglophone readers. Martyn Crucefix, translator of Peter Huchel’s Numbered Days (2020) commented: ‘[Your Introduction] is just what I might have hoped for [...] I love your choosing the Dipper poem to draw out some more positives in his work and what you say about it makes me see the poem again in a new light – the point of lit crit.’ [E.2.c].

Influenced creative practice and generated new forms of creative expression

Leeder’s translations have inspired artists to create work which would have been impossible without access to English-language versions. Beth Sparks produced drawings based on Leeder’s translations of Sandig’s ‘Grimm’ cycle published in a special art edition [G]; Sascha Conrad’s film using Leeder’s translation of Sandig’s ‘Shining Sheep’ [H] was shortlisted for the EMPRES Award 2020 [A]; animators Beate Kunath and Eléonore Roedel created three short films containing the English text of Sandig’s poems [I]. These have been viewed 1,623 times online, integrated into concerts by hip-hop band Landschaft (Kiev, Rotterdam) and presented at readings, festivals, concerts and interventions across India in 2019, crucially increasing the poet’s reach through the medium of English [E.1.d].

Developed the profile and reputation of German poets in English

Sandig was unknown in English when Leeder translated her poetry for the premier New Zealand literary journal SPORT (2012). Sandig states: ‘Leeder's adaptations of my poems contribute significantly to […] my international reception. Thanks to her collaboration, I am not only developing an English-speaking readership, but also […] an audience that, though not part of the conventional book scene, is by no means less poetry-loving’ [E.1.d]. Her invitations are ‘the result of Leeder's work as a literary mediator’ [E.1.d].These include major UK festivals (Edinburgh, StAnza, Hay) [C.1.f-h], as well as festivals in Jaipur and Rotterdam [C.1.a and 1.d]. She was commissioned to produce new work, (e.g. on the First World War for Hay, and for the 50^th anniversary of ‘Sgt. Pepper’ for the city of Liverpool and the Beatles’ estate) and published in prestigious journals in the UK, Australia, USA and India in Leeder’s translation. Editors of Centres of Cataclysm, a volume celebrating the ‘best of fifty years of European poetry’ included a poem from Thick of it and invited Leeder and Sandig to lead a public workshop [C.5.a]. The former editor of Modern Poetry in Translation ( MPT) states: ‘It is not by chance that Sandig has been “accepted” by the UK poetry scene […]. Karen’s inspired advocacy has allowed her to bridge the languages and cultures in a way that few contemporary poets can do.’ [E.2.e]

Leeder’s collaboration has also enhanced Grünbein’s reputation. After curating major events with him at Poetry International (Southbank Centre – sell-out audience: 600) [C.4.k], one of his poems commissioned and translated by Leeder was chosen to represent Germany in MPT’s ‘EU Stronger in Europe’ campaign 2018–2019 [J]. Further translations appeared in international journals including New England Review (nominated for a Pushcart prize) and Poetry (Chicago) where ‘The Doctrine of Photography’ won the John Frederick Nims Memorial Prize 2018 [A]. The editor of Poetry commented: ‘[Grünbein’s] work, and your translations, are a marvel’ [E.2.j]. A 2019 ‘in conversation’ event with Leeder and Grünbein as part of ‘Riveting Germans’ at the British Library spoke to a sold-out audience of 400 [C.4.a]. Leeder’s English version of Grünbein’s Porcelain has twice featured on BBC radio [F (2019; 2020)]. Grünbein comments: ‘I value my work with Karen Leeder enormously. Through her translations and her engagement, she has been instrumental in increasing my reputation in the English-speaking world.’ [E.1.a]

Influencing and informing artistic expression through consultancy and co-production

During his BA Mid-Career Fellowship, Bullock worked with Oxford Lieder’s Artistic Director on programming and content, and engaged with concert audiences through five talks, five study events, three programme notes and new translations of all the Russian repertoire performed [S1]. This partnership raised Bullock’s profile with creative industry companies and venues. As a result, he subsequently worked with Garsington Opera (four lectures; one booklet essay), Wigmore Hall (13 programme notes; translations for 8 recitals), Welsh National Opera (four booklet essays **[S3]**) and the Royal Opera (two Insight events – one, on Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades, viewed on YouTube over 15,000 times [S2]; one booklet essay). Each of these lectures, events, essays and translations generated by Bullock, sought to promote a deeper understanding of Tchaikovsky’s repertoire.

Bullock and Curtis collaborated with Garsington, from conception to production, on Tchaikovsky’s Evgeny Onegin (2016) . Garsington’s Director of Development and Communications acknowledges: ‘Curtis’s involvement in our production […] began right at the very beginning of the process, talking to the director and conductor. [Her] …comprehensive word-for-word translation and transliteration of the libretto for all members of the cast and creative teams [was] …the most useful of its kind that [the artists involved] had come across and that it had helped enormously throughout their preparations for the production’ [S4]. Pre-production events included ‘in-depth analysis of the opera and its origins which really helped to inform our audience in advance of the performances’ [S4]. Curtis’ literal translation of the opera, was ‘invaluable in my preparation’ (Roderick Williams, performing Onegin **[S5]**). Former RSC Director, Michael Boyd describes ‘Curtis's careful and vivid literal translation’ as ‘an invaluable and unusually privileged resource for the entire company and creative team working on the opera [enabling] us to make strong musical choices with confidence, and to clear away the clutter and grime of inherited and mistaken assumptions’ [S6]. He continues ‘Bullock's generous sharing of his work on Tchaikovsky [R1], in advance of publication, gave me several timely insights into Eugene Onegin which directly impacted on our production’ [S6].

Highlighting the importance of languages and transcultural exchange across dramatic practice and the performing arts

With Bullock and Birksted-Breen, Curtis organised workshops (2014, 2017, 2019) involving playwrights, directors, and critics from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, international scholars and British theatre-makers [S7]. Roundtable discussions highlighted political pressures, manifested in issues of language, faced by artists working in Russian. Since politically controversial artists and companies struggle to have their work produced, the workshops provided an important platform for raising their profile, generating UK productions, staged readings, and podcasts. Writer, translator and critic John Freedman used the 2014 workshop to produce video interviews with Sasha Dugdale, a renowned translator of Russian poetry and Irish playwright Nicola McCartney (527 YouTube views) [S8]. Birksted-Breen translated Mikhail Durnenkov’s The War Has Not Yet Started, and directed a staged reading followed by a Q&A, at the Theatre Royal Plymouth, as part of the ’Power, Politics, and Performance in Russia’ festival (587 youtube views **[S9]**). The play was subsequently directed by Michael Fentiman at the Theatre Royal Plymouth (2016), and by Gordon Anderson for London’s Southwark Playhouse (2018). A reviewer described this as ‘mesmerizing, with incredible dialogue and an even better cast’, calling it ‘a treat and a must-see' [S10]. The 2017 workshop included a staged reading of Belarus Free Theatre’s Time of Women (2014) (director Birksted-Breen) performed by professional actors, featuring women human rights activists and journalists in Belarus previously imprisoned for protesting against the authorities. Curtis also introduced a 2020 radio play of the documentary drama OYUB by Elena Gremina, Anna Dobrovolskaia, and Zarema Zaudinova, translated by Alexander Thomas, recorded as a podcast in lockdown (226 views on YouTube; available on iTunes **[S11]**). Enhanced cultural understanding of issues and phenomena; shaping or informing public attitudes and values

Providing a platform to marginalised voices and communities was a key intention behind a new interpretation of the Russian language play ‘Oxygen’ in October 2018. The white middle-class spoken English often associated with British ‘culture’ overlooks contributions from writers, composers and performers using black British speech, working-class accents or British Sign Language, as well as non-English languages. The new interpretation of ‘Oxygen’ involved collaboration between Creative Multilingualism, Sputnik Theatre, the Birmingham Rep, Institut perevoda (Russia), Punch Records and two Birmingham-based hip-hop stars [S12]. Working with Curtis, Birksted-Breen and Dudrah at Birmingham City University (BCU), Lady Sanity and Stanza Divan were able to ‘…dive into the language of the [Russian] text’, through Dugdale’s translation. Lady Sanity continues ‘a lot of themes […] related to what’s happening in the modern-day society, so it was amazing the amount of similarities that we found’. An important element was ‘sitting down with Noah [Birksted-Breen] and having an interview about our lives which is sort of interwoven with the actual story’ [S12].

Culturally diverse audience members invited by Birksted-Breen, Curtis and Dudrah, attended a performance of Oxygen at BCU in 2018. The attendees appreciated the ‘mix between hip-hop and a Russian play, a Russian culture.’ One exclaimed ‘I thought I’ve gotta see that!’; [S12], another commented, ‘At the beginning I couldn’t connect, like why am I listening to an urban, black, British from Birmingham talking about Russia. But then of course as they went through it, I say this is completely genius because they found amazing way[s] through hip-hop to relate experience of what Russia was in the 2000’s […] they completely connected to a great cultural adaptation’ [S12]. Speaking to the fusion of language and culture another spectator revealed ‘I loved… the tonality, how they both performed in response to what I know of Russian literature, there was a really interesting synergy’; [S12]. Another encapsulated the ethos of Creative Multilingualism, ‘Whether you go to the theatre or not or whether you go to hip-hop gigs, […] regardless of which side that you sit, the message underneath will resonate with you’ [S12].

‘Translating, Printing, Singing. Creative Engagement with the Reformation’ succeeded in bringing research-informed contributions to a broader public and benefitted congregations, community groups, and professional artists in Oxford, Holland, and Germany. Starting from Oxford’s Taylor Institution’s German holdings, through publications, public lectures and workshops the team changed the perception of Germany’s sixteenth-century Reformation, from a historic event to a dynamic, creative process, driving change in the here and now. Contemporary resonances became tangible and audible in performances which involved active audience participation; overall, the anniversary events changed the way in which lay-members of congregations as well as professional artists approached historic material. Print practitioners seized the idea of the Reformation as Communication Revolution, visual artists and dramatists were inspired by the new image of Luther, musicians and religious communities translated the message of the singing Reformation as liberating legacy into their own practice.

a) Improving the Understanding and Practices of Printers

The new Reformation pamphlet editions [R3, R4] worked as a catalyst for engagement with the Lutheran Reformation’s material legacy. Print practitioners curious to understand the success formula of the early presses used direct access to primary material located by Lähnemann in Oxford libraries to experiment with recreating historic products. Lähnemann’s description of the technical details and errors of Lutheran pamphlets were posted on the Bodleian website as a ‘how-to’ guide for typesetting, composing, and producing illustrations in the style of 16^th-century woodcuts. Printers acknowledged they ‘were challenged to extend the ambitions of the press technically’, prompting new practices like including historic fonts in different languages [S1.1]. As a result, the Bodleian Print workshop launched more technically ambitious hands-on events tailored to different audiences like typesetting in historic black-letter type with 50 visitors from Bonn celebrating 70 years of town-twinning [S1.1]. Printing as a medium of change became tangible when one mixed Oxford-Bonn group on the day after the Brexit referendum decided to include a pro-European message alongside the first of the ‘95 Theses’ in their typesetting exercise with Lähnemann [S1.2].

b) Changing Artistic Practice: Visual and Dramatic Transformation

The materiality and physicality of the Reformation, a key theme in Lähnemann’s research, is also present in Roper’s biography of Luther. The artist Neel Korteweg responded to this emphasis on the body and painted Luther as complex human being, a ‘warning against what might happen when influencers become someone of political importance’ [S2]. For Oxford, Lähnemann developed a web-based ‘Reformation Walking Tour’ on the oxfordstories platform [S3.1]. On the day of the quincentenary itself, Lähnemann and Roper staged a re-enactment of the iconic publishing of the theses, with Wareham as Luther using a print-sheet typeset on the Bodleian’s historic printing press. The format of the broadside and the set-up of the press on-site were based on Lähnemann’s research for the Reformation Pamphlet series [R3, R4]. The film documentation of Luther and the printing press in action was viewed nearly 30,000 times on Cherwell Online’s public Facebook page [S3.3]. The collaboration during the actual quincentenary led to a Reformation-period piece Schwestern unter sich; the author commented on Roper’s influence: ‘Your work on the physicality and the role of the women in the Reformation inspired me to write my quincentenary piece in the form of a feminist drama’ [S4.1]. In a follow-up workshop, arranged by Lähnemann, the actresses of the drama reflected on how the performance experience had changed their view of the agency of women [S4.2].

c) Changing perceptions of female agency and musical practice

Exhibitions and performances have rendered this focus on female agency visible and audible. The current Protestant Abbess of Kloster Mariensee observes that the now permanent exhibition (set up in 2017, annual visitors 6,000) on the last Catholic Abbess, based on Lähnemann’s research and part of a long-standing collaboration with the convent, ‘changed the perception of the role of women in the late Middle Ages for us and our visitors’ [S5]. As a result, the convent was recognised in 2017 as significant place for female emancipation (‘FrauenOrt Niedersachsen’, equivalent to the blue plaque scheme), the first to celebrate a Catholic female figure of the Reformation period.

The Abbess of Kloster Lüne, which houses the letterbooks edited in the ‘nuns’ network’ project by Lähnemann [R5], confirms that ‘hearing about how learned and politically and religiously active our predecessors were, is inspiration and obligation for us as a convent; we want to pass on a sense of this dedication to all those who come to us’ [S6]. The concert for the 2016 ‘ kloster mahl anders’ series was based on new insights provided by Lähnemann into the liturgical practise and vernacular singing of the nuns and how Protestant hymn culture developed. The Oxford Bach Soloists (est. 2015) used Lähnemann’s research into Reformation hymns and their medieval ‘back-story’ to develop their concept of liturgically-informed performance in ten shared cantata performances and a 2016 concert tour to North German convents [full list S7], organised by Lähnemann: ‘Working with Lähnemann opened up the historic depth and European dimension of the music we make’, said the group’s Artistic Director [S8].

d) Singing as an Expression of Protestant Identity but also a Form of Protest

Lähnemann’s presentation of the legacy of the Reformation as a singing movement is particularly significant for congregations across the Protestant spectrum (Methodists, United Reformed and Anglican congregations). A member of the Kidlington Methodist Congregation spoke for many participants in the workshops and study days (ecumenical events, cantata introductions, overall ca. 1,200 participants **[S7.1–2]**) voicing the congregation’s ‘delighted surprise’ on discovering the deep roots of their tradition of hymn singing [S7.1a]. Similar responses sprang from seeing (and hearing) the Reformation tradition of Psalm singing continued in today’s hymns, documented e.g. in reflections by the Secretary of St Columba’s URC, Oxford, who stressed that ‘hymnody is no respecter of human barriers; a good piece will travel far beyond the confines of its author’s confessional or national background – as we saw this morning when German and British people from Protestant and Roman Catholic backgrounds shared in singing familiar hymns’ [S9.2a].

A particularly poignant statement came from a Hong Kong Sociology Professor. After attending a lecture by Lähnemann [S9.3], he took the pamphlets and the message of the power of Singing the Reformation back to his Protestant church. This resonated with his congregation who participated in the 2019 Hong Kong protests while singing hymns. Reflecting on the response Lähnemann’s presentation about singing as a form of protest inspired in his congregation [S9.3] he observes: ‘Reformation should not be viewed as something of the past history of Europe, it is still relevant and inspires the world like contemporary Hong Kong.’ [S10]

Shaped and informed public attitudes towards the value of linguistic diversity and the ubiquity of translation as a creative process

Babel: Adventures in Translation was one of over 20 events CML organized to showcase the prevalence of translation and linguistic diversity, its importance for our everyday lives, and relationship with creativity. The exhibition, co-curated by Kohl, Duncan, Harrison, and Reynolds with Bodleian Libraries (2019, 85 exhibits), attracted 35,528 visitors. Display cases drew on Kohl’s research on ‘Multilingual Britain’ (revealing translation at work from iconic medieval masterpieces to everyday documentation, like UK health leaflets) and on fantasy literature (highlighting the role of translation in linguistically experimental poetry – Tolkien, Carroll – and the global dissemination of popular favourites including Grimms’ tales and Harry Potter). The Times Literary Supplement highlighted how the exhibition ‘rescues translation from its worthy perch by revealing it at work everywhere’ [S1].

Visitors, some with little or no prior knowledge, reported that it informed their views in ‘thought-provoking’ ways [S2] and stimulated insights: ‘the Harry Potter section […] involved my love of reading […] but also gave an insight to the translation that was involved’ [S2ii, p. 16]. The exhibition facilitated discoveries for students and language professionals: ‘I do A level English – it’s all so interesting and will help with my course work!’ [S2iii, pg. 34]; ‘As a translator […] I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibition! Both interesting and educational’ [S2i, pg. 5]; ‘As a speech and language therapist I’ve found it fascinating thinking about different languages and their similarities’ [S2i, pg. 5]; ‘As a French teacher I use languages every day but […] I had forgotten how to focus on creativity’ [S2iv, pg. 46].

Influenced teacher and student views on the usefulness of creativity in language learning and the value of foreign and community languages

As part of Creative Multilingualism, the Multilingual Performance Project (MPP), promoted taught and community languages by supporting schools in incorporating multilingual performance and drama activities into teaching, and helped establish relationships between schools and local theatres. MPP reached approximately 15,600 students in 67 primary and secondary schools in England, Wales, France, Ireland and Spain [S3, p. 11]. 26 teacher workshops resulted in 100% of the 213 participants feeling more confident using drama techniques in the languages classroom [S3, p. 16]. All 213 reported gaining greater confidence in using other languages [S3, p. 43]. Teachers noted a bottom set growing ‘very motivate[ed]’ and ‘very attentive to accuracy’ [S3, p. 43]. Many passed on their learning: ‘I was able to share my experience with teaching colleagues at my schools, […] at ALL Bicester Primary hub […] and the Southern Primary Languages Show 2019’ [S3, p. 17].

The CML-commissioned multilingual song ‘We Are Children of the World’ (all materials freely available online; 613 downloads) empowered speakers of marginalized languages. 500 primary school children performed in Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre. Teachers reported that ‘children began talking more about the languages that they speak at home and how they sound compared to each other’s languages’ and ‘wanted to learn more about […] what languages were spoken in our school. They researched the countries and languages, and wanted to learn greetings’ [S3, p. 33].

In CML’s World’s Stage film project, 81 West Midlands students performed in their native and taught languages. 80% said it ‘had made them think […] community languages were more valuable to the UK, with 90% now thinking that they were very important’ [S3, p. 33]. A headteacher commented: ‘dual language speakers […] blossomed […]’ and as a result they appointed somebody responsible for English as an Additional Language [S3, p. 33].

Identified barriers to motivation in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in schools, shaped public debate by mobilising Higher Education (HE) support, and forged networks across sectors to generate policy review

Kohl has led a Higher Education drive for MFL exam reform since 2012, campaigning for grading adjustment by forging stakeholder alliances across higher and secondary education. Her research on the crucial role of creativity in all aspects of language [e.g. R1, R4] underpins the long-standing concern to promote creativity as a motivating force in language teaching and learning. Impact of Kohl’s research and campaigning on public debate [R1] contributed to the 2020 recommendation by the British Academy, AHRC, ASCL, British Council and UUK – highlighted in TES – that Ofqual should ‘adjust grade boundaries for language qualifications so that they are not unduly severe’ [S10, p. 10].

Dialogue with teachers in the Oxford German Network established by Kohl in 2012 revealed the barrier that assessment places on learners’ ability to develop creative use of foreign languages, the confidence born of independent creativity, and the motivation to continue learning. Identifying entrenched excessive exam difficulty and the demotivating effect of severe grading as barriers for language take-up and progression, Kohl generated growing support from HE and subject associations for reform (while 80 academics from 18 universities signed an open letter to Ofqual in October 2013, a further open letter by Kohl in May 2019 was signed by 152 academics from 36 universities; both were complemented by Guardian features **[S4, S5]**). Ofqual’s promise of ‘more engagement with the MFL community’ [S6] resulted in Kohl being invited to its meetings.

A 2017 letter to Ofqual showed that ‘the HE languages community is unequivocal in its support for the subject associations representing teachers and the school leadership associations, and “urge Ofqual to accept that there is now sufficient evidence to demonstrate the severity of grading in MFL … and that the steps necessary to rectify this anomaly need to be implemented with urgency”’ [S7.ii]. Kohl’s interventions are shown to ‘demonstrate widespread support for an adjustment to grading standards’ [S7, p. 66], and were quoted in subsequent Ofqual policy documentation (November 2018) as representative.

Kohl participated in DfE-initiated MFL exam reviews (ALCAB, 2014; MFL GCSE Pedagogy, 2016). Following a May 2019 submission [S8], she led an HE team at a meeting with the Chief Regulator and met the Schools Minister in July 2019. In November 2019, six years after Kohl’s initial intervention, Ofqual announced an adjustment to GCSE French and German grading [S9]. The DfE simultaneously set up an MFL GCSE content review, appointing Kohl to the panel.