Case Study

Introduction

Al-Manar Arabic School in Manchester is devoted to educating the community’s pupils in Arabic and Islamic Studies. It was set up in September 2001 and today caters for 360 students from 22 nationalities. Together they speak eight languages. 22 staff work in the school, 18 are qualified teachers. The school has the status of a language exam centre.

Meeting with Mrs Abbas, headteacher and Mr.Kouzali, trustee, in Burnage High School premises on a Sunday morning is inspiring. They are both passionate as they speak about their work. Before we sit down to talk, Mrs Abbas tells her colleague that she is trying to help the Korean supplementary school to find premises. It is evident that some local communities here try to help each other when needed.

The school has recently ended a great partnership with a mainstream school where they cooperated in Arabic language learning. Mrs Abbas explains that they all benefited from working in partnership; they did, the mainstream school did, and the community did. The partnership came to an end when there was a change of Headteacher and the school is now running temporarily from Burnage High School.

The visit

The visit takes place on the first day of operation in the new premises. Arabic signs have been placed next to each classroom telling students what courses are taking place: nursery, Year 3 A, Year 3 B, Year 4, GCSE level etc.

When I visit the classes 3a and 3b the teachers are busy setting up or teaching. The children in class 3A are sat at their desks watching the teacher setting up the projector for the mornings’ first lesson. It is a positive environment to be in. The children explain in both Arabic and in English what they discuss and learn in class. Each teacher has a record book for the subject they teach. Here, they record student contact details, attendance, homework, achievement, lesson plans and evaluation.

The children in the nursery are busy eating breakfast, and when told there is a visitor, they are keen to sing some of the Arabic children’s songs they have been learning. Big display boards with the children’s names have been put up in the corner, where the children get a star for good behaviour and results. As encouragement, the children receive a treat when the number of stars reaches 10. All the staff in the nursery are trained nursery staff, and all teachers are trained teachers, many with degrees from their home countries.

Pupil involvement and achievement

The teachers are keen to involve the students in the learning process and normally ask them to decide what topics they would like to discuss in the classroom. They also use magazines and the internet to discuss topics. It is important to involve and engage the students to keep them motivated.

Treats such as stickers and small toys like yo-yo’s, soap bubbles and pens are given to the younger students in the classroom when they do well. Normally treats are handed out on a daily basis. If the children do exceptionally well, a picnic might be arranged or the students might get to watch a video. Mrs Abbas pulls out a filing cabinet drawer full of treats to show. As a head teacher, she also has a set of her own treats that other teachers don’t have. She comments, 'It should be felt a bit special to receive a treat from the head teacher, it means a little extra.'

Sports competitions between classes are arranged on a regular basis. The winners receive medals and a small ceremony takes place. Students and parents also come together to celebrate days such as Eid, when food is brought into school. Fun days are arranged as well as End of Year Day when they invite special guests and the local Mayor. The pupils also sponsor 10 orphanages worldwide.

The importance of learning Arabic

Learning Arabic is important in order to keep the Arabic history, the traditions and the culture alive. The generation taught will be able to teach the next generation. Being plurilingual is important as the world is becoming increasingly smaller. Learning Arabic helps the children to communicate with family in their home countries, send letters and to write e-mails. Attending the Arabic school not only increases the children’s learning ability to perform better in the mainstream school subjects, but it also helps keep them off the streets and away from any trouble they might get in to.

School background

Apart from teaching Arabic, the school teaches maths, science, history and geography. Learning these subjects in Arabic enhances the learning of the Arabic language as a whole. In this way two aims are achieved: teaching the language and providing knowledge.

The school follows the Jordanian national curriculum and most books are bought from Jordan. The teachers are trained to teach the curriculum in an open-minded way and can adapt the curriculum to suit the children and their needs. Teachers handle the children as individuals, each with different potential and capability, and account is taken of the amount of work required for the children who attend both the English mainstream school and the Arabic school.

About the School