Portsmouth High School celebrates multiculturalism with its Festival of Languages

Chris Broom
By Chris Broom
Published 13th Feb 2023, 16:39 BST
Updated 13th Feb 2023, 16:39 BST
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LANGUAGES from across the globe were celebrated at a school’s annual Festival of Languages.

The festival, which has been running for more than a decade, is an opportunity for the languages department at Portsmouth High School to share their passion for languages and to celebrate some of the languages spoken by pupils in the school.

Senior school pupils at the independent private school in Southsea held taster lessons ranging from Arabic, Gujrati and Tamil to Mandarin and Bengali, plus there was a language-themed treasure hunt around the school helped by Year 7 Spanish linguists.

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Year 5 pupils from local primary and junior schools were invited along with the aim of igniting a love of languages – and also to celebrate the rich diversity of languages spoken by pupils in schools across the county.

Pictured is: (l-r) Olivia Grant (10) and Ivy Fogerty from Springwood Junior School with Khushi Patel from Portsmouth High School. Picture: Sarah Standing (030223-8999)Pictured is: (l-r) Olivia Grant (10) and Ivy Fogerty from Springwood Junior School with Khushi Patel from Portsmouth High School. Picture: Sarah Standing (030223-8999)
Pictured is: (l-r) Olivia Grant (10) and Ivy Fogerty from Springwood Junior School with Khushi Patel from Portsmouth High School. Picture: Sarah Standing (030223-8999)

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Head of the faculty of modern languages Mrs Arthers said: ‘We celebrate our multiculturalism at Portsmouth High School as much as we can. In a recent survey we discovered that, within the school community, more than 15 worldwide languages are spoken at home. To be able to spend a morning celebrating some of these languages is such a pleasure as our pupils shone as they spoke about their languages and cultures to the visitors.’

Year 9 pupil Farah, who spent time with the visiting schools teaching Arabic, said: ‘It has been so interesting to see how the different pupils interpreted the different lifestyles and languages. It has been so lovely talking to the younger pupils.’

Thaaniya, who held a taster lesson in Tamil, added: ‘I loved seeing the smiles on the girls’ faces when they learnt something new.’

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Pictured is: (back right) Portsmouth High School's Asiya Uddin with pupils and staff from St Jude's Primary School. Picture: Sarah Standing (030223-9003)Pictured is: (back right) Portsmouth High School's Asiya Uddin with pupils and staff from St Jude's Primary School. Picture: Sarah Standing (030223-9003)
Pictured is: (back right) Portsmouth High School's Asiya Uddin with pupils and staff from St Jude's Primary School. Picture: Sarah Standing (030223-9003)

Kyla, Year 5, from Springwood Junior School in Waterlooville, said: ‘The morning has been so much fun and challenging.’

Mrs Best, from St Jude’s Primary School, Old Portsmouth, added: ‘I have been coming to this event for 10 years and it is always so challenging for our pupils but lots of fun too. It is a great way to celebrate the richness of language learning and be a part of enthusing that knowledge.’

It is thought that there are 7,000 different languages spoken around the world. More than half have no written form.

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