Wendell Park primary school has worked to welcome and support refugee and asylum-seeking parents with free English classes.
The Cobbold Road school has hosted free weekly English classes, open to any parent who wanted to polish up their speaking skills.
The classes were launched by local resident and Wendell Park mum Nikita Crocker. She initially started the language support group when she noticed that some parents were struggling to join in conversations at the school gates.
With help from Hammersmith & Fulham Council's Macbeth Centre and our Supporting Vulnerable Communities team, the volunteer-led conversation group grew into an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) class taught by a professional tutor.
Cllr Rebecca Harvey, H&F Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion and Community Safety, said: "H&F is a borough for all, where everyone is welcome.
"We're proud to be working with Nikita and the passionate volunteers who have welcomed these parents with open arms. It's all part of our work to build a stronger, safer, kinder borough."
Family support
To support as many Wendell Park parents to attend as possible, we helped the school organise an on-site crèche for children under the age of five.
This allowed parents such as Naima – who regularly attended the English classes – to fully focus on learning and gaining confidence.
The mother-of-two said: "Every lesson is a step towards becoming more successful and independent. This class is very important for my future because it gives me tools I need to communicate better and achieve my goals."
Nikita explained that the most rewarding part of the project is the friendships she's made. "Our children play together, and I have conversations with many who were unable to say more than a greeting when I first met them," she said.
"I see the students speaking with the wider community and attending parent/teacher interviews alone when previously their husbands or others had to be present to translate."
Gain a voice
There's lots of support on offer for refugee and asylum-seeking families in our borough. Find out how we can help here.
H&F's Macbeth Centre is also offering refugees, asylum seekers and migrants free interpreting courses in collaboration with ClearVoice. The classes will create pathways to employment as Community Interpreters.
Find out more about this initiative and other 450+ classes offered at the Macbeth Centre on our website. There are concessionary fees available for those on certain benefits.
Call us on 020 8753 3600 or stop by the Macbeth Centre – located at Macbeth Street in Hammersmith, W6 9JJ – to speak to one of our helpful staff.
