Languages at Arbourthorne

We are very proud to have over 28% of our pupils who speak one or more languages additional to English - 30 different languages in total! 

We celebrate all our linguists, and select a 'Language of the Month', where we focus on one language spoken in our school each month and identify our language 'experts' in each class.  They coach peers, colleagues and visitors to learn a few basic words and greetings in their home language.  Parents are invited into school as part of the celebration of languages and we run events where recipes and food are shared from all areas of the globe!

We film a selection of home language speakers and upload clips, so this can be shared in class or by children and parents at home so everyone can practice their new language skills! 

Our EAL teacher, Mr Biggs, runs regular groups to support the development of language for pupils who speak more than one language - pupils are grouped and partnered with others in school who have the same home language and work collaboratively to develop that home language alongside English. 

A recent promotion of home languages took place in school with the support of Sheffield University Maker team - families joined us to explore how traditional tales and languages are woven into our identities. During the multi-lingual storytelling workshop', families brought their own stories and languages, and shared them using cardboard construction, simple electronics, stop motion animation and Octostudio app to create interactive animations!