PRIMARY school youngsters who don’t have English as their first language are being invited to a fun sports day at Bishop Perowne CofE College.

On Friday, February 6, around 50 children from city schools will converge upon the college, in Merriman’s Hill Road, and take part in everything from benchball to athletics.

This is a joint venture between the PE department and the English as an Additional Language (EAL) department.

Ana Griffiths,one of the college’s EAL learning leaders , said: “The idea is to promote teamwork and have fun.

"Even though you can’t speak each other’s language you can still work as a team and have fun doing it.”

The Year 4 and 5 pupils who will be attending include children from Portugal, Poland, France, Holland ,Bangladesh, Turkey, Romania and Slovakia.

Mrs Griffiths said: “We just want to show the youngsters that there are no barriers just because you can’t speak in the same language.” The EAL department at Bishop Perowne is committed to helping every student achieve their full potential no matter what their entry level of English when they come to the school.

Awards will be presented after the event and if it is a success, it could take place again next year.

Headteacher, Julie Farr, said: “I am delighted that Bishop Perowne C of E College are leading this initiative.

"Not only will it support young people across many city schools, it will affirm our drive to promote active participation in sporting activities.”