The Benefits of Language
Support in Schools

There are many students in UK schools for whom English is a new experience and is often a source of anxiety; a barrier that prevents them from reaching their full potential. An example would be an increasing number of Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee their country as a result of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine. The use of a professional translator can certainly help them with accessing the curriculum.

Schools play an important role in aiding the integration of immigrant children into society, both economically and socially. However, with limited resources, educational settings face a huge and difficult task of involving immigrant students and their parents by supporting inclusive policies and addressing parents in their native language.

Various research has shown that constructive parental involvement in their children’s school life and education has a positive effect on student outcomes including academic achievement, behaviour, attendance, social integration, and personal mental health as well as encouraging and stimulating positive relationships with schoolmates and teachers.

For a number of reasons, schools often resort to what is called Child Language Brokering (CLB) – a situation where children of immigrant families translate and interpret between culturally and linguistically different people and mediate interactions in a variety of sometimes difficult circumstances. The participants may include not only members of the child’s own family but often even strangers.

It may be an easy answer for schools, as it is free, readily available, quick, and technically legal, but various studies have shown that the cons of CLB outweigh the pros.

Although it’s true that in the process of CLB some children develop interpersonal, cognitive, and communication skills while experiencing positive feelings of pride and self-confidence, many other children feel embarrassed, stressed, or frustrated when they misunderstand something or struggle with unfamiliar terminology. Taking on responsibilities or making decisions normally reserved for adults, such as negotiating or interpreting sensitive issues – often inappropriate for a child to hear – is a serious ethical issue that adds to the burden young language brokers face.