At Aspen Heights British School, students bring different languages, cultures and experiences into their learning every day. Recognising those different starting points and creating opportunities for students to develop as multilingual learners can help young people communicate, connect and participate confidently in the world around them. Aspen Heights British School at the ISP Leadership in Multilingualism Conference Recently, Mrs Neelum Chaudry, Secondary Head of Curriculum and Miss Monica Guelas represented Aspen Heights British School at the ISP Leadership in Multilingualism Conference in Dubai, joining colleagues from ISP to explore how multilingualism can translate into meaningful experiences for students. The two-day conference brought together multilingualism leads and senior leaders from ISP schools across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, alongside regional, divisional, global and Group colleagues. Participants explored multilingualism through the lens of their own school communities, while learning from the experiences and expertise of colleagues working in different contexts. Home languages as an asset to learning For Miss Monica Guelas, Head of Multilingualism at Aspen Heights British School, the conference prompted an important shift in thinking about the role students’ home languages can play in learning. “The conference was a real wake-up call for me. It reinforced that our multilingual students shouldn’t feel pressured to leave their home languages at the school gate. Their languages are an asset to learning and can actually support the development of English and other languages. We are now looking at practical ways to embed multilingualism across Aspen Heights, while making sure the approach is manageable and supportive for our teachers.” Understanding multilingual learners Students across ISP schools have different experiences of language. Some already use several languages in their everyday lives, while others may be developing an additional language for the first time. ISP’s wider ambition is to give every student opportunities to develop and benefit as a multilingual learner. During the conference, participants considered how the languages and knowledge students already have can support new learning, how Learning Design can create opportunities for language development and how evidence can help schools better understand student progress. They also used ISP’s Multilingualism Roadmap to reflect on practice and consider priorities within their own school contexts. Gemma Donovan, Regional Head of Multilingualism for ISP Middle East, said: “Every school taking part serves its own unique community, so the next step will look different in each context. What connects us is the ambition to understand our learners well, recognise the language experiences they bring with them and create meaningful opportunities for every student to continue developing as a multilingual learner.” Learning from different school communities The conference brought together colleagues from schools with different curricula, communities and student language profiles. This gave Mrs Chaudry and Miss Guelas the opportunity to hear different perspectives, share experiences from Aspen Heights British School and consider how ideas discussed at the conference relate to their own students. Rather than applying the same approach in every school, the focus was on developing a shared understanding of multilingualism while recognising that strong practice needs to respond to each school’s particular context. Rory Galvin, Regional Learning Director for ISP Middle East, said: “Language is fundamental to learning. When we understand the language experiences students bring with them, we can think more carefully about how we design learning, build on what they already know and support them to make progress. The important next step is turning that understanding into what happens in classrooms every day.” Checking for genuine understanding in Secondary For Mrs Neelum Chaudry, Head of Curriculum – Secondary at Aspen Heights British School, the conference prompted reflection on how curriculum and classroom practice can better reveal what students genuinely understand: “The experience really made me reflect on the difference between getting the right answer and genuinely understanding the concept behind it. From a curriculum perspective, this is particularly important for our multilingual learners, as language can sometimes affect how students demonstrate what they know. I’m taking back practical ideas around how we can build more opportunities to check for genuine understanding across our Secondary classrooms, while ensuring language does not become a barrier to demonstrating learning.” Creating opportunities for students in Abu Dhabi For ISP Middle East, developing multilingualism is ultimately about what students experience in their schools and classrooms. Kam Bhamra, Regional Managing Director for ISP Middle East, said: “Our students are growing up in communities where different languages, cultures and perspectives are part of everyday life. We want them to see that as an opportunity that enriches their sense of culture, belonging and identity. Developing as a multilingual learner can help young people communicate with more people, understand different perspectives and prepare for opportunities beyond school. Our responsibility is to create environments where students’ languages and cultures are valued, they feel a genuine sense of belonging, and multilingualism becomes part of who they are and who they can become.” For Aspen Heights British School, taking part in the conference provided an opportunity to contribute to that wider regional conversation while bringing fresh thinking back into the school community. With students from more than 65 nationalities, multilingualism is already an important part of everyday life at Aspen Heights British School. Students developing English as an additional language receive targeted EAL support, helping them access learning and build confidence in communicating across the curriculum. The school’s Language Ambassadors and Young Interpreters programme also gives students opportunities to use their own language skills to support others, welcome new students and help classmates feel connected to the school community. Building on these foundations, the learning from the conference will help the school explore further ways to recognise students’ home languages as a valuable resource for learning, belonging and connection. As colleagues across ISP Middle East take their learning back into their individual school contexts, the connections created through the conference will continue to provide opportunities to share expertise and learn from one another. At Aspen Heights British School, the learning and perspectives brought back by Mrs Chaudry and Miss Guelas will contribute to that continuing journey, with the shared ambition of creating meaningful opportunities for students to develop and thrive as multilingual learners.
