▼ ‘NICOLAE IORGA’
ROMANIAN SCHOOL,
WIRRAL
Below: Luca, eight, was
born in Bucharest and has
attended the school since
it opened in 2018. This
picture was taken on the
fi rst day back after a
Covid-enforced period of
online learning; tocelebrate, the children
wore Romanian dress and
a rosette with the colours
of the Romanian fl ag.
Bottom: Daria, seven, and
Alexandra, fi ve, moved to
the UK recently. Daria
particularly enjoys art,
Romanian stories and
making puppet showsThe Guardian | 30.04.22 | SATURDAY | 37▼ HADAF PERSIAN
SCHOOL, LONDON
Below: Alma, 16, taking
part in a traditional dance
from Iran. ‘We’ve
performed it every year
since I joined the school.
It’s done to celebrate the
harvest, and the colours
are all about standing out- none of our costumes
match. Because everyone
at the school is from the
same place, we
understand each other,
the language we speak,
our shared background.
I feel very at home.’
Bottom: Kiara, seven, who
also has an older sister at
the school▼ AKACIA
COMPLEMENTARY
SCHOOL, HIGH
WYCOMBE
Below: Hannah, 12. ‘I
come here for 3.5 hours
on Saturday mornings
during term times. I love
the maths classes. Mr
Katumwa, the teacher,
thinks that if I continue to
work hard, I may be able
to take my GCSE early.’
Bottom: Yolissa, nine.
‘One of the adults in the
background is my dad,
who is a voluntary
teacher. I love being with
the friends I’ve made here- we’re like a big family.
We call our teachers
Auntie and Uncle’
door is always open ,” S kierkowska says. The children
learn about P olish culture, food and history, as well
a s a b o u t t h e C a t h o l i c f a i t h. T h e y h a v e t h e o p p o r t u n i t y
to learn to read and speak Polish. Many of the
c hildren take a GCSE in the language, but the skills they
gain also help them stay connected with family
back home.
“Having to grow up facing harsh realities, post war,
I remember my sisters had to queue in the shops because
there was no food available, and we had to learn to grow
produce and cook from scratch ,” Skierkowska says. “It
g ave u s a st ron g work et h ic. We w a nt to m a ke s u re ou r
children have the same resilience , and they are patriotic
about the country.”
Teachers at other supplementary schools are
s imilarly passionate about their mission. Yuko Hirono
is on the committee of the Scotland Japanese school.
Children have been com ing to the Saturday school in
Livingston from Glasgow, Edinburgh and other parts
of the country for 40 years. There are currently 95
students, aged fi ve to 15 , who spend three hours every
Saturday morning studying Japanese literature. Hirono
found out about the school when she moved to Scotland
10 years ago with her fi ve-year-old daughter. “The
p rogramme was for the Japanese ex pat community,
initially, but at the moment there are more children
from mixed marriage s .”
They learn how to write and read in Japanese,
although, Hirono says: “ The level of learning isn’t quite
the same as it is in Japan. They learn to write Chinesecharacters and Japanese characters , and read and
discuss Japanese novels. We also have calligraphy
classes, sports days and a graduation ceremony done
in the way it is in Japan.”
The school has an impressive library of about
4,000 Japanese books, many of which were donated
by parents of former students who have since returned
to Japan. It is funded by Scottish Development
I nternational , a subsidy from the foreign m inistry of
Japan, and grant money from Japanese companies in
Scotland ; it has recently applied for charity status.
“ Funding has been a crucial issue,” Hiro no says.
“ R unning the school is quite a hard
job for parents. But they all greatly
a ppreciate the J apanese school. It’s