A South Yorkshire nursery school that holds weekly Spanish classes is under threat of closure. Janet Halse, head of the Denby Street Nursery School and Family Centre in Sheffield, said she expected to hear this week whether it would have to close due to the falling birthrate in the area. About a third of its children, aged three to five, are bilingual, predominantly speaking Punjabi and Urdu. The children come from across the city to attend the school. Its Spanish sessions, begun as part of the Sheffield Multilingual City Project, are now in their fourth year. Mrs Halse said, 'The children absolutely love it - at that age language acquisition is what they do best. In the summer we hold a Spanish carnival.' Photograph by Steve Doherty.
A South Yorkshire nursery school that holds weekly Spanish classes is under threat of closure. Janet Halse, head of the Denby Street Nursery School and Family Centre in Sheffield, said she expected to hear this week whether it would have to close due to the falling birthrate in the area. About a third of its children, aged three to five, are bilingual, predominantly speaking Punjabi and Urdu. The children come from across the city to attend the school. Its Spanish sessions, begun as part of the Sheffield Multilingual City Project, are now in their fourth year. Mrs Halse said, 'The children absolutely love it - at that age language acquisition is what they do best. In the summer we hold a Spanish carnival.'
Photograph by Steve Doherty.
