Our aim was to develop students’ motivation to study English as a foreign language and facilitate communication in English. We also wished to improve the effectiveness of teaching (our students took part in mobilities). Our aim was also to provide the teaching staff with modern skills and strategies in the field of teaching migrant students (through participating in job shadowing and in the teaching course). We aimed at facilitating the process of adaptation of all new migrant students in the school environment and raising their self-esteem. We implemented a support package for foreign students to build up self-confidence and easier integration with classmates. We introduced English teaching materials and tools to be used by teachers, students and parents. We created not only lesson plans but also innovative film materials supporting students and parents in learning English. We were gradually increasing students’ English skills together with the European dimension of our school. We strengthened our position in the local community by introducing an innovative, up-to-date offer, more suitable for specific needs of the multicultural society and economy.
Our school is facing the problem of human migration. Wroclaw is a big city in Lower Silesia and many people settle here as the city is open to foreigners and involved in many international intiatives, ready to promote new ideas and projects. Human migration led our school to organise preparation classes, which is an innovation programme for foreigners. At the moment, over 30 % of our students are foreigners (around 230 students) . Each year, 30 new students enrol for two preparation classes, however most foreign students attend regular classes at levels 1-8. It is a big challenge both for the school and for the teachers. We face issues with communication, emotional and educational problems (e.g. lower grades in English language), also cultural differences. By cooperation with the City Council and Ukraina Foundation we can hire intercultural assistants who support students, teachers and parents. In our project ‘Time 4 English’ we responded to these challenges, drew attention to the multicultural school issue and gave contribution to its internationalization.