INTERESTING STUFF: The British Primary School Where Pupils Speak 31 Different Languages Including NIGERIA’S YORUBA LANGUAGE

Though this news seems aliitle old; its an interesting one that caught my attention that the Nigeria language, Yoruba being mentioned in the piece below...Courtesy of two Fellow Nigerian pupils of English Martyrs School, Birmingham as pictured below, i.e. Tomiwa Solanke and Rebecca Durolda. The pupils and their languages:

Back row (left to right) Tomiwa Solanke (Yoruba), Tekime Kiobo-Bizirhi (Swiss French), Amarah Knox (Arabic), Star Mayenba (Lingala), Laura Siqueira Dos Santo (Spanish), Daniel Horvath (Czech), Daniela Dvorakova (Czech). Third row (l-r) Sami Haroon (Arabic/Dutch/Sudanese), Rebecca Durodola (Yoruba), Courtney Galvin (English/Irish), Makarim Omar (Dutch/Arabic), Julia Luboch (Polish). Second row (l-r) David Liani (Portuguese), Acemea Harris (Jamaican Patois), Erica Plesca (Romanian), Kerene Miasuekama (Lingala), Marek Kubow (Polish), Emran Hamood (Arabic), Amran Faqiri (Pashto), Ben Silva Marytsch (Portuguese). Front row (l-r) Kailash Rana (Nepalese), Fatema Rashid (Khachi), Asmathe Mougamadou (Tamil and French), Navneet Bharaj (Punjabi), Myrah Khan (Urdu)

Daily Mail, UK Reports:

Above are just some of the children who speak the huge number of languages at English Martyrs school, one of the best performing in Birmingham. The native tongues range from Polish and Spanish to Arifkaans, Tamil and Arabic. Despite the challenges posed to teachers, the school was ranked one of the best performing in Birmingham in last year's SATs exams, with 91 per cent of students getting the benchmark level four or above in English, and 89 per cent in maths. Despite being a Catholic school, the majority of pupils at English Martyrs hail from a Pakistani background, with Urdu/Mirpuri the most common dialect spoken by youngsters in the home. All teaching staff specialise in teaching English as an additional language and the school also uses translators. Senior teacher Darren Byrne said buddying up new pupils with children who share the same mother tongue was the key to the school's success. 

Success: The school was ranked one of the best performing in Birmingham in last year's SATs exams

 He said: 'We have had many children who have come in with no English whatsoever, and the first thing we do is pair them with other children, as that is the best way for the language to be introduced to them’. 'We also use pictures, books and the internet’. 'But I find a child having a friend and a confidante is the easiest way for them to pick up words and language which is most important for their day-to-day life at school’. This can include talking to the teachers and knowing the word for 'sir', 'miss', 'please' and 'thank you', through to words for objects and nouns. Latest Government figures show pupils who speak English as their first language are now in the minority at more than a quarter of Birmingham schools. Department for Education records showed a majority of students at 117 of the city's 430 primary and secondary schools listed a different language as their mother tongue

The pupils and their languages: Back row (left to right) Tomiwa Solanke (Yoruba), Tekime Kiobo-Bizirhi (Swiss French), Amarah Knox (Arabic), Star Mayenba (Lingala), Laura Siqueira Dos Santo (Spanish), Daniel Horvath (Czech), Daniela Dvorakova (Czech). Third row (l-r) Sami Haroon (Arabic/Dutch/Sudanese), Rebecca Durodola (Yoruba), Courtney Galvin (English/Irish), Makarim Omar (Dutch/Arabic), Julia Luboch (Polish). Second row (l-r) David Liani (Portuguese), Acemea Harris (Jamaican Patois), Erica Plesca (Romanian), Kerene Miasuekama (Lingala), Marek Kubow (Polish), Emran Hamood (Arabic), Amran Faqiri (Pashto), Ben Silva Marytsch (Portuguese). Front row (l-r) Kailash Rana (Nepalese), Fatema Rashid (Khachi), Asmathe Mougamadou (Tamil and French), Navneet Bharaj (Punjabi), Myrah Khan (Urdu)

 English Martyrs, which recently celebrated its centenary, has moved from having a mainly Irish Catholic roll from the 1950s and 60s through to a majority of pupils from a Pakistani background today. Around 11 per cent of students are currently Catholic, but new head teacher Evelyn Harper said she expected the number to increase with greater numbers of pupils from Poland, Romania and other eastern European countries. Mrs Harper added that parents played a 'huge part' in their child's success in the classroom. She said: 'I only came here seven weeks ago, but already I can't believe the respect that parents and children show teachers and the teaching profession that maybe isn't there from white indigenous cultures. 'Parents really care for their children, they want them to do better and for that reason our results are very, very high.'