Sheffield Children's Centre is in the heart of Britain's fourth largest city, but staff are more likely to think of it as being at the centre of the global community.,We have 125 children under five here who speak 21 different languages' says Chrissie Meleady, the centre's chairperson. 'We don't think that speaking more than one language is some kind of special need. It increases opportunities. In fact, we promote multi-lingualism for all our children, including children who are monolingual English speakers.'
The centre has a radical approach to language. Each class operates in three different languages. All classes use English and Spanish. The third language will be one that is spoken by many of the children, Arabic or Urdu, for example. Staff and children are expected to communicate in all three during the course of the day. In addition, British Sign Language and Makaton are used, so that children who are hearing-impaired or who have other special needs are included.
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