Being Multi-Cultural Benefits School Says Head

A headteacher has told Sky News that having 20 different nationalities at her school has not had a negative impact on the children’s education.

Little Stanion Primary School in Corby has Poles, Russians, Hungarians, Romanians and Tamils as well as British-born pupils.

When the school opened in 2012 only half the children could speak English.

“None of the children should be impacted negatively,” said headteacher Helen Williams. “In fact, completely the opposite.

“They have this rich seam of other cultures and other learning that’s going on around them to give them a whole different perspective on life that they might not get if they’re in a mono-culture school.

“There are so many different things these children bring from their home lives that we can draw on in the world we live in today.

“That’s crucial for any child growing up in Britain and the world now – to know what’s going on – and you have it here on our doorstep.”

But there are challenges. The number of births in Corby jumped by 63% between 2002 and 2011 and there is now a shortage of primary school places. One of the reasons for that is immigration.

With Northamptonshire’s industries come many low-skilled jobs, attracting foreign workers who are paid more than at home. Since 2001 the county’s population has increased by 10% – and people know it.

At Northampton’s German market, one man told Sky News he would be voting UKIP at the next election

“I’ve just had enough,” he said. “(When) you walk down the street you’ll be lucky to hear an English voice.”

A lady who came to the UK to work five years ago told me: “Immigration is good thing, but on a massive scale it’s not a good thing”.

However, a young man stopped to say he thought that “overall” immigration was good. “It provides more opportunities for people to work especially if companies are growing,” he said.

There was anger when reports suggested that sandwich-making firm Greencore had gone to Hungary to find workers for its Northampton factory despite thousands being unemployed in the town.

Marcell Tanay, who runs recruitment agency EUwork in the Hungarian capital Budapest, says he finds employment in the UK for 800 people every year.

“They expect better pay and opportunities in the UK. That’s the main reason they go, and they usually meet those expectations,” he said.

“Most plan to go for a year or two but many stay longer, some many years, even becoming British citizens.”

Source Article from https://uk.news.yahoo.com/being-multi-cultural-benefits-school-says-head-021421161.html

Being Multi-Cultural Benefits School Says Head