Sinead Gervis, Spring Common Academy's Communication and Interaction Manager shared,

"Wow! Another amazing turnout from our families to join in with our activities for 'International Communication Day'.

This was a fantastic way to explore the variety of languages spoken by our pupils, staff, and families. A lot of the lower school classes explored the languages of the pupils and staff in their classes. This consisted of learning the same song but in different languages, learning keywords in different languages, and exploring activities relating to the country. Upper school classes mainly focused on one language/ country and decorated their classrooms, tasting local cuisine, and exploring cultural activities. Walking around the Academy, it was so wonderful to see so many pupils, staff and families engaged in their communication-focused activities."

Ellie Bounford, Class Teacher KS1, ran an Attention Autism session including stages 1, 2, and 3. Attention Autism is a communication intervention focused on developing receptive communication skills and quality attention. Stage 1 was the classic bucket featuring some of the class's favourite exciting toys. This is used to capture the learners' attention and to act as an incentive for their engagement. Stage 2 was called "magic flags". This attention-building activity encourages learners to maintain their engagement as different international flags were revealed, and they were encouraged to practice saying "hello" in different languages. Stage 3 was called "the propellor on the plane". This interactive game saw learners taking it in turns to spin like a propellor on a plane travelling to different countries around the world; Stage 3 enables learners to develop their turn-taking and social communication skills.

Receptive communication is a core learning skill that learners develop and work on throughout their school experience, and Attention Autism is a flexible intervention that enables them to do so at a variety of levels. Teachers often introduce new topics and concepts through Attention Autism (or Bucket) sessions, and this was a fantastic opportunity to introduce different languages in a way that was accessible to all and thoroughly enjoyable.

Agustin's class took part in an international video call with a school in Spain, where students on both sides of the screen chatted in their non-native language. Thank you to the Spanish school for their time, and to Agustin for facilitating in Spanish and English.

"The International Day event at Spring Common Academy provided an enriching experience for the students. This year, the emphasis was on communication, allowing pupils to immerse themselves in learning various languages and cultures through an array of interactive games and activities. Some classes engaged in hands-on cooking sessions, preparing traditional dishes such as paella and Spanish potato omelette. Other classes participated in singing and dancing to traditional songs from different countries, enhancing their vocabulary on topics such as greetings, food, numbers, and colours through quizzes, and exploring humorous expressions and rhymes in various languages.

In the afternoon, parents were invited to participate, enjoying the festivities with their children. Additionally, some students volunteered for a video call with a Spanish school and a special needs charity from Almendralejo, using this opportunity to practice Spanish and learn about Spain and its cultural heritage." Agustin Manzano, Class Teacher

Class 3DH took part in a gym session with a difference!

"Guste in 3DH comes from a Lithuanian family, and we celebrated this by asking the pupils to respond accurately to the Lithuanian words for 'jump', 'bounce', 'balance' and 'roll'.
This took a lot of careful listening, and we used symbols to help us. Well done all!

 Our favourite word was 'sokineti', which means 'jump'!" David Horne, Class Teacher & Math Coordinator

Rebecca Greig, Head Teacher shares, "Spring Common Academy welcomed families for our International Communications Day, and it was wonderful to see classrooms full of parents, carers and wider family members. It is part of a regular series of events opening school and giving opportunities for pupils to show what they have been learning and to do activities with their families. It is a brilliant basis to have something to communicate about. The international aspect of this afternoon gave added opportunity to include and value pupils' home languages and make links with a Spanish school - practicing speaking and listening in Spanish. The event brought lots of fun, laughter and, very importantly, an open invitation for families to join their child in learning activities."