Language
competency
is
an
essential
component
of
personal,
academic
and
economic
processes
and
successes.
Studies
have
repeatedly
shown
the
positive
effects
of
high
quality
additive
bilingualism
on
immigrant
children's
academic
achievement,
identity
development
and
familial
relationships.
1
There
is
also
a
consensus
on
the
potential
benefits
of
bilingualism
on
the
UK
national
economy
and
security,
however
many
schools
do
not
realise
this.
Most
of
our
beneficiaries
are
schoolchildren
of
first-generation
immigrants,
who
are
raised
in
homes
where
Farsi
is
spoken
and
grow
up
with
a
better-than-average
opportunity
to
develop
proficiency
in
both
English
and
Farsi.
Yet,
soon
after
these
children
enter
school,
the
expectations,
pressures
and
desire
to
assimilate into the majority culture leads them to quickly abandon their native language for English.
One
mechanism
that
can
overturn
these
unfavourable
outcomes
is
by
attending
native
language
programmes.
One
parent
told
us
one
of
the
most
frustrating
problems
with
her
children
is
that
they
see
their
first
language
as
a
source
of
shame
or
a
marker
of
inferiority,
and
that
this
has
led
to
their
negative
self-image
and
cultural
isolation.
Our
school
helps
these
children
perceive
their
linguistic
abilities
as
a
resource
rather
than
an
obstacle.
Since
the
early
days
of
its
inception,
ICOH
has
received
growing
demand
from parents to run Farsi classes. In an initial enquiry, 25 parents expressed their interest in enrolling their children in our school.
ICOH
aims
to
establish
a
Farsi
language
school
for
Iranian,
Afghan
and
Tajik
schoolchildren
aged
between
5
and
16
residing
in
Hull.
Not
only
does
the
school
teach
the
linguistic
needs
of
the
pupils,
it
also
educates
them
in
relevant
cultural
and
sociolinguistic
issues.
The
vision
of
the
school
is
to
serve
as
a
vibrant
force
for
preserving
and
developing
the
linguistic
proficiency
and
cultural
knowledge of Farsi language communities in Hull.
The
school
will
deliver
structured
courses
for
a
group
of
15
to
20
pupils
and
will
run
during
the
weekends
(preferably
on
Saturdays).
The
courses
will
be
comprised
of
25
two-hour
sessions
(for
a
total
of
50
hours)
over
a
period
of
six
months.
One
qualified
teacher
and
two
teaching
assistants
will
lead
each
session.
While
pupils
only
receive
a
few
hours
of
contact
instruction
a
week,
new
communication
technology
will
be
used
to
complement
on-site
instruction
by
using
an
online
component
to
increase
the
amount
of
time
spent
learning
the
language.
An
interactive
website
will
be
designed
and
teaching
assistants
will
be
available
in
the
online
forum on a regular basis to give extra support to pupils.
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1
Additive
bilingualism:
A
situation
where
a
second
language
is
learnt
by
an
individual
or
a
group
without
detracting
from
the
development
of
the
first
language.
A
situation
where
a
second
language
adds
to,
rather
than
replaces
the
first
language.
This
is
the
opposite of subtractive bilingualism. Source: Bangor University.