A steep learning curve
A primary school's attempt at multiculturalism
St. Clement's Infant and Bethany Junior Schools in Bournemouth experienced an explosion in foreign admissions over the past few years. One third of pupils now don't speak English as their first language. The largest group among them is Polish and the school says their integration has been a success. Read more
Eavesdrop on Bethany School's international club:
Stuck in the system
Many Polish families decide to stay in England once their children start school here. When families move countries not only may language become a barrier, but also the education system (see diagram).
Children in Poland start school at the age of seven, two years later than their British counterparts. Polish secondary schools have a much wider compulsory curriculum than British schools and students pass a final examination called matura (equivalent of A-levels).
Two teachers, two takes
Two teachers in two very different schools in the cities of Gdansk and Warsaw - one a troubled inner-city primary, the other a private bilingual nursery school - talk about how migration affects their work and how important learning English is in Poland.
