Nepali provision

In June 2006, the Nepali project was set up to meet the needs of the increasing numbers of Nepali pupils arriving in Hampshire a result of changes in the law relating to serving and retired Gurkhas and their families.

In January 2008, the data showed that there are currently 970 Nepali pupils in Hampshire schools, 763 being in Rushmoor,108 in Basingstoke and the remaining 91 scattered through other districts. The relatively high numbers have necessitated our developing different ways of working. With just three full time equivalent bilingual assistants, with a combined total of 1443 hours to use per year, we would not be able to profile every newly arrived student, let alone give ten hours support to each.

We have been working with schools to find the most effective use of bilingual assistants’ time, to give the greatest benefit to pupils and their schools. Here are some of our achievements so far:-

1. a self-profiling pack in English and Nepali, which can be printed by schools and given to literate pupils (Year 5 upwards) on their arrival.

2. The child-profiling pack for parents  in English and Nepali provides three options. It can be sent home for parents to i) agree to meet a bilingual assistant in school or ii) agree to speak to a bilingual assistant over the phone or iii) complete the profiling form themselves.

3. a Nepali phone-line to provide an interpreting, translation and information service for schools, for parents with questions relating to the education system and for Nepali students with questions about their homework (or other educational matters).

4. background information including a booklet Nepali Children in Hampshire Schools which provides useful general information on the language, cultural and educational background of Nepali students.

5. a PowerPoint presentation Supporting Pupils from Nepal , with background information on the geography, culture, languages and education system in Nepal.

6. a Nepali language ‘taster’ lesson , downloadable to MP3 players.

7. a Nepali glossary (suitable for Year 6 upwards) with key words across many curricular areas.

8. some useful Nepali phrases for KS1

9. a link to the SEGfL Flash meeting webpage, which enables schools to participate in Flash Meetings (like video conferencing, but only requiring headsets and, if possible a webcam). Hampshire EMTAS has hosted a trial flash meeting where four parents and two Year 11 students asked experienced bilingual assistants questions about the English education system. We will also be hosting another Nepali Flash meeting in July (in addition to the Shona one already advertised).

10. links to other useful websites for schools with Nepali students.