Polska Szkoła Sobotnia w Sheffield

General Information

About our school

The school was founded in 1956 by allied ex-servicemen settling in the UK after WWII. It is one of the oldest schools in the country affiliated to the Polish Educational Society. Over the years the profile of the school has changed radically according to its intake of pupils: some periods have seen a predominance of native-speakers, others, mostly learners for whom Polish is very much a second language. Whilst at present a higher proportion of pupils speak Polish rather than English at home, most, having attended school in the UK for some time, now write and read English with greater ease than their home language.

The aim of the school is to enable their students to develop into young adults able to use the Polish language with confidence; to awaken their interest in contemporary Polish culture as well as the country’s traditions and history; and to prepare them to play a constructive role in the social and professional life of their chosen country of residence. Last year the staff demonstrated their commitment to the Polish language and Polish culture by volunteering their services as examiners free of charge to young people who did not attend the school but who wished to take Polish GCSE.

About our partnership

The Our Languages project has presented the Polish Saturday school with a long sought after opportunity to introduce Asset Languages accreditation by providing it with free training and teacher assessment packs. Participation in the project and the introduction of the Asset Language scheme, it is hoped, will give both pupils and staff a clearer sense of achievement and attainment. This, the school feels, is particularly important as much of the current student body can find mainstream education frustrating due to disparities between linguistic and academic ability.