English Classes
Albanian School
Albanian school is one of Shpresa founding services and usually takes place on Saturdays and Sundays in North and East London. The classes are organised in groups and sub-groups according to age, background education and each child’s current understanding of the Albanian language.
Teaching Albanian in a practical context is the primary focus, but the classes do not stop there. Sharing knowledge and promoting Albanian culture is just as important for heritage and identity. Our carefully designed curriculum covers history and heritage, and is further enhanced through poetry, performance, events and song – the results of which we all enjoy at annual celebrations like Albania and Kosovo Independence Day.
There is growing interest from families and children to understand and embrace their culture through these classes, and we witness the impact and success of those attending Albanian school every single day.
Working with Schools
We are committed to encouraging our children’s educational success. We believe that promoting a positive Albanian identity and teaching our language not only builds self-esteem and confidence, develops literacy and learning, and boosts performance, it also improves relationships within families and our wider community.
We know that parents play a vital role in the education and progress of their children and we use a range of proven methods to engage them in their learning and support their attendance at mainstream school. Equally, by working with teachers at local schools to better understand the Albanian culture, we further assist with their day-to-day learning.
We work in partnership with mainstream schools in five London boroughs: Newham, Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Enfield and Haringey. The schools we work with include Mayfield School, Gascoigne School, Gladsmore Community School. These incredibly supportive schools all provide their facilities for free as venues for our classes.
“When I started the school I was very lonely, I couldn’t speak the language and Mum was going through a very tough time. It was my teacher that referred Mum to Shpresa . She needed help and at Shpresa the people were very friendly, spoke Albanian, knew where to get help for us and accompanied us as well. I started to join different clubs and really liked it, making lots of new friends. We had shows where I performed and it really increased my confidence, as my English was improving and I started to be more confident in school as well. Now I have moved to the youth project and we run our own activities and shows which is great. I am in the top set in school and I have great ambition for the future. My Mum is now working as a classroom assistant.”
