A SCHOOL in Tottenham where pupils speak a combined 64 languages is determined to continue to make progress.
Among other languages, students at Woodside High School, in White Hart Lane, Tottenham, speak Punjabi, Russian and Tagalog, a language spoken in the Phillipines.
Eighty per cent of pupils at the comprehensive speak English as an additional language.
At its last inspection, conducted by Ofsted in 2007, reported: "The ethos in the school has improved considerably so the school is now a harmonious community in which all students, regardless of their background or need, work together and respect each other."
The school’s headteacher, Joan McVittie, agreed that multiculturalism was "a huge enrichment for the school".
She said: "We have children here who speak five or six different languages. They are incredibly gifted."
Huge efforts to integrate Woodside High have been launched by Mrs McVittie in conjunction with London Challenge.
Set up in 2003 by the Department of Schools, Families and Children, London Challenge aims to provide support and boost improvement.
Mrs McVittie stressed the "significant investment" they have placed in the school.
Over the past year, London Challenge has funded the participation of 40 Woodside High staff on an 18-week training course.
This has developed their understanding of how to adapt lessons to new arrivals who may not be proficient English speakers.
Silvain Wiles, national specialist in English as an Additional Language (EAL) for London Challenge, also visited the school to speak to staff and pupils.
Two teaching assistants will soon be trained to become specialists in teaching English with an additional language.
Mrs McVittie said: "London Challenge has given us a huge amount of support."
Results have been steadily improving since Mrs McVittie arrived at Woodside High in 2006.
"As a result of these changes, the teachers are really, really keen to see the children achieve well and the children have been just superb as well.
"We will be clearing our floor targets this summer.”
Floor targets are designed to bridge the gap between standards in more deprived schools and the rest of the country.
Although Woodside High just missed this year’s floor targets, Mrs McVittie said she was determined to reach the goal set for 2009 of 30 per cent of students receiving A*-C GCSE grades, including maths and English.
The different languages spoken by Woodside High Pupils include:
Akan
Albanian
Amharic
Arabic
Bengali
Bengali (Sylheti)
Bosnian
Bulgarian
Creole French
Chinese
Croatian
Czech
Dutch
English
Farsi
Filipino
Flemish
French
Greek
Hungarian
Igbo
Italian
Kiswahili
Kurdish
Lingala
Lithuanian
Luganda
Panjabi
Pakhto
Pashto
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Romanian
Russian
Serbian
Shqip
Somali
Spanish
Swahili
Tagalog
Turkish
Twi-Fante
Urdu
Vietnamese
Wolof
Yoruba
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