We’ve all heard about the six-week “brain drain”, which happens when pupils are away from their learning routines and turn their minds to other things.

There’s nothing wrong with this, of course - after an intense year, they deserve the chance to recharge and step away from the books. 

But for some young people, especially the most disadvantaged, those six weeks precede difficulties come “la rentrée” in September. 

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It’s particularly difficult for pupils to keep up their modern foreign language (MFL) skills over the break. It’s not feasible to expect them to go on holiday to the country of the language they’re studying.

And even if they do, as us MFL teachers know, they tend to frequent the tourist areas where the locals speak English.

So before they head out the door, we need to remind them that keeping up with language-learning is best done little and often and doesn’t need to be dull.

There are plenty of simple techniques to ensure they stay as sharp as possible during the break. Parents may also be grateful for ideas to help focus minds and stop boredom taking hold.

MFL film club

Any opportunity to listen to the foreign language in question is worth taking. If pupils are going to watch DVDs or online streaming sites over the summer, remind them to seek out MFL movies in the original language versions.

They could set themselves a goal that, by the end of the summer, they will try to watch a film in the foreign language with no English subtitles. 

Get appy

Direct your students towards free language-learning apps, such as Duolingo, which they can use to practise key vocabulary every day. 

Keep up with current affairs

Exposure to authentic materials in the foreign language can be hard to find, but news outlets are a step in the right direction. There are great websites such as News in Slow French and News in Slow Spanish, which discuss current affairs.

Teacher time

We should encourage pupils to spend time with family and friends and this can be a chance for them to help someone else learn some basic phrases in MFL.

Many parents tell me that they wish they could speak languages like their son or daughter, so tell your pupils to try to help Mum or Dad have a basic conversation in the target language.

Education abroad

If you do have pupils lucky enough to be able to visit the country of the language they are studying, ask them to write a short journal every day during their stay. This is a great opportunity to practise their writing skills and past tenses (pupils who are staying at home can do it, too).

And tell them to look for free leaflets, guidebooks and magazines that they can bring back to share with the class.

Some pupils find the summer break rather long because, contrary to popular belief, they do find it difficult to keep themselves entertained for long periods at a time. It’s no wonder that many of their parents are hanging by a thread come the last week of August. 

I have always found parents receptive to the idea of summer tasks to keep pupils occupied. For a lot of pupils, there are no trips abroad or days out and so it’s a long six weeks.

We owe it to them to encourage their learning and ensure that when September comes around, no one is playing catch-up. 

Jennifer Beattie is assistant headteacher at Emerson Park Academy in Essex