Bolton school chosen from 400 entries to become language ambassador

MCRJourno

Credit: Essa Primary School

A primary school in Bolton was selected as a leader in overcoming language barriers in the classroom.

Essa Primary School was chosen from over 400 entries to become a UK Education Ambassador for language diversity.

As one of only six schools in the UK that will partner with Pocketalk, the global leader in translation technology, the school was identified through a nationwide programme looking for outstanding schools.

Jess O’Dwyer, General Manager UK at Pocketalk said: “Research has shown that children learn better when taught in their own language, which is crucial, especially in those early years."

The partnership specifically aims to support EAL (English as Another Language) students, teachers, parents and caregivers in a step towards helping support the 1.7 million pupils in England’s maintained schools who face language barriers.

Pocketalk invited schools across the UK to apply for the opportunity to trial up to 10 of their AI-based direct translators, which can facilitate real-time, secure, instant conversations in over 84 languages.

In just nine weeks, the programme attracted over 400 entries from early learning settings, primary, and secondary schools nationwide.

Essa Primary School stood out from the competition and was selected by a panel of judges for its desire to enhance the educational provision and also significantly improve the experience of its students and their families in the school setting.

The primary school which has 254 students with EAL and 34 languages spoken will now integrate Pocketalk devices into its classrooms.

A representative for Essa Primary School said: "Enabling real-time translation for our children, we believe Pocketalk could help our pupils [...] provide a sense of autonomy, confidence and independence, allowing our children to express themselves in their home language."

With an estimated 300 languages spoken in classrooms across the country, initiatives like this are viewed as essential for fostering inclusivity and successful educational environments.